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COPVRIGHT DEPOSE 



A MANUAL 
FOR CHRISTIAN INSTRUCTION 



BY 



WILSON R. BUXTON 

Minister of the United Congregational Church 
Little Compton, R, I. 



BOSTON 

TLbc pilgrim press 

CHICAGO 



#w 



$1 



THE LIBRARY OF 
CONGRESS, 


Two Copies Received 


MAR 23 1903 


Copyright Entry 
CLASS &/ XX* No. 


COPY ». 



Copyright, 1903, 
15 v Wilson R. Buxton. 






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PREFACE 



This Manual is not intended for children. There 
already are in use a number of excellent elementary 
catechisms. This Manual has been prepared for 
those who, because of their previous instruction in 
the fundamental truths of religion, are prepared for a 
larger understanding of those truths and their practi- 
cal application to the problems of life. 

In addition to the many adults who are in need of 
definite instruction in Christian teachings, there is a 
large class of youth passing through their teens who 
have a vigor of mind that ought to be turned to ad- 
vantage in the assimilation of spiritual truth just as 
readily as it is utilized in the reception of what is 
called secular knowledge in the public schools. For 
such this little book has been written. 

The purpose of this Manual is to inform, suggest 
and stimulate. The writer has, therefore, endeavored 
to ask and answer those questions that will start the 
most fruitful line of discussion and inquiry. This 
has necessitated the asking of leading questions 
only, to each one of which the teacher is to bring 
his class by putting to the members questions, simple 
and practical, of his own framing. 

If the teacher is not already familiar with them it 



VI PREFACE 

is suggested that in connection with the instruction of 
his class he will find help in reading portions of the 
following : " Present Day Theology," by Stearns ; 
"The Character of Jesus," by Bushnell ; "Through 
Nature to God," by Fiske ; " Outlines of Christian 
Theology," by Clarke ; " The Christ of To-day " and 
"The New Epoch for Faith," by Gordon; "The In- 
carnation of the Son of God," by Gore ; "The Life 
to Come," in "Studies of Religion," by Martineau ; 
and " The Holy Father and the Living Christ " and 
" Christian Perfection," by Forsyth. 

The Scriptural quotations are from the American 
Revised Version. Six questions and answers, with 
little change, have been incorporated from the West- 
minster Shorter Catechism, since material improve- 
ment was not deemed practicable. To a number of 
leading clergymen in Providence, Boston and vicinity, 
to whom the writer read the manuscript, and who 
made helpful criticisms and suggestions, he desires 
to acknowledge his indebtedness. 

The Manual assumes that, while God has in other 
ways revealed himself to man, his revelation in the 
Holy Scriptures furnishes sufficient data for an ade- 
quate sketch of his living purpose with reference to 
man. It therefore opens with a brief consideration 
of the redemptive revelation — the fact of that reve- 
lation, and the record as we have it in the Bible. 
From the record or outer court, the argument passes 
to the spiritual content, the Holy of holies, the living 
teachings of revelation. 



PREFACE Vll 

These teachings disclose God to the soul — his 
nature, attributes, and modes of existence and mani- 
festation. But the great burden of the teachings have 
to do with God in his relation to man. So, grant- 
ing that man is within the movement of the infinite pur- 
pose of God, the writer has raised and endeavored to 
answer three great questions : What is the end of 
man ? In what ivays does God help man attain his 
end? What is man to do that he may appropriate 
the helps divinely provided, and thus press forward 
toward his goal ? 

Now, since it must be assumed that from the first, 
in his education of man, God has been working 
toward rational ends, these facts are evident : That 
God's goal for man was foreshadowed in man's orig- 
inal spiritual constitution at creation ; that God's 
teachings from the first matched that spiritual consti- 
tution ; that the noblest souls of the earlier dispensa- 
tion to a degree exemplified these teachings, and that 
in the complete man, Christ Jesus, there was the final 
and absolute realization of humanity's goal. So we 
state the answer to the first question thus : The 
end of man is perfection according to God's laws of 
life stamped on man's being at creation, very early 
revealed in the Old Testament, and completely mani- 
fested in Jesus Christ. 

But not only did God appoint this high end for 
man ; from the beginning, God has been helping man 
to realize his supreme purpose. He has so ordered 
the world as to make it a theater adapted to the 



Vlll PREFACE 

struggle for perfection. He has put man under the 
sway of powerful motives to right living. He has 
ever bestowed upon the willing recipient his Holy 
Spirit. He has evolved social institutions through 
which man's life on earth can manifest itself. So 
we state the answer to the second question thus : 
God helps man attain his end by so ordering his con- 
stitution and that of the world as to make progress 
toward perfection possible ; by placing him under the 
sway of motives that enhance the value of the soul 
and make right living desirable ; by bestowing upon 
him his Holy Spirit, and by providing him with in- 
stitutions in and through which man's life he.7'c is to 
reveal itself. 

Finally, since man is God's free child, it follows 
that he has a part to perform in the grand ethical 
drama of the individual life. That part is summed 
up in the one word " Faith ; " but it is a faith that 
through the years of man's pilgrimage is ever unfold- 
ing into definite forms of Christian experience and 
activity, which may be designated as repentance, 
growth and service. So we state the answer to the 
third question thus : Marts part is to cooperate with 
God by responding to the divine overtures to him, 
and thus, through appropriation of the help vouch- 
safed, to press forward toward the mark of the prize 

of his high calling. 

Wilson R. Buxton. 

Little Compton, R. I. 
January, 1903. 



SYNOPSIS OF CONTENTS 



THE REDEMPTIVE REVELATION 

A. THE FACT. 

B. THE RECORD. 

C. THE TEACHINGS. 

I. God: His Nature, Attributes, Modes of Existence and Manifestation. 
II. Man: 

/. The End of Man is Perfection. 

a. The Primacy of the Ethical. 

b. The Two Elements in Final Type of Character. 

c. This Type Completely Realized in Jesus. 

d. Man to Reproduce the Christ Character. 

e. Value of the Christ Character to Human Society. 
2. God Helps Man to Attain this End. 

a. An Ordered World. 

i. Man endowed with possibilities of sin and righteousness. 

2. Is placed in a world where he can bring out either 

possibility. 

3. Disobeys God, and sin enters. 

4. With entrance of sin come suffering and sorrow. 

5. Ethical meaning of the world's suffering, sin and strug- 

gles. 

b. Influencing Motives. 

1. Degeneration and growth. 

2. The love of God. 

3. The future life. 

c. The Holy Spirit. 

1. His work in man. 

2. Tests of his indwelling. 

3. Scope of his operation. 

d. Institutions. 

1. The family. 

2. The state. 

3. The Church. 

5. Man Cooperates with God and Presses forward toward His 
Goal. 

a. Faith. 

b. Faith's Unfolding. 

1. Repentance. 

2. Growth. 

3. Service. 



A MANUAL 

FOR 

CHRISTIAN INSTRUCTION 



i . In what ways has God revealed himself to man 7 

God has revealed himself to man in the universe l 
that he made, in the humanity 2 that he created, and 
through his servants 3 and his Son Jesus Christ. 4 

i. Ps. 19 : i, 2. The heavens declare the glory of God ; and the 
firmament showeth his handiwork. Day unto day uttereth speech, 
and night unto night showeth knowledge. 

2. Gen. 1 : 27. And God created man in his own image, in the 
image of God created he him. 

3. 2 Pet. 1:21. Xo prophecy ever came by the will of man : but 
men spake from God, being moved by the Holy Spirit. 

4. John 1 : 14. And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among 
us. 

2. I That is meant by God's revelatio?i of himself in 
the universe f 

By God's revelation of himself in the universe is 
meant the manifestation of his power, wisdom and 
goodness in the vastness, history, structure and laws 
of creation. 1 Astronomy, geology, physics and phil- 
osophy are " a translation of the Creator's thought 
into human language." a 



2 A MANUAL FOR CHRISTIAN INSTRUCTION 

i. Rom. i : 20. The invisible things of him since the creation of 
the world are clearly seen, being perceived through the things that 
are made. 

Ps. 148:3-10. Praise ye him, sun and moon: praise him, all 
ye stars of light. Praise him, ye heavens of heavens, and ye 
waters that are above the heavens. Let them praise the name of 
Jehovah ; for he commanded, and they were created. He hath 
also established them for ever and ever : he hath made a decree 
which shall not pass away. Praise Jehovah from the earth, ye 
sea-monsters, and all deeps ; fire and hail, snow and vapor ; stormy 
wind, fulfilling his word ; mountains and all hills ; fruitful trees and 
all cedars ; beasts and all cattle ; creeping things and flying birds, 

2. Rom. 8 : 19. For the earnest expectation of the creation wait- 
eth for the revealing of the sons of God. 

3. What is meant by God^s revelation of himself in 
humanity f 

By God's revelation of himself in humanity is 
meant the disclosure of his own nature, wisdom and 
purpose in the constitution, 1 history 2 and experi- 
ences 3 of mankind. Biology, psychology and social 
science are revelations of God's mind and thought 
to man. 4 

1. Ps. 139:14. I will give thanks unto thee; for I am fearfully 
and wonderfully made. 

2. Gen. 12: 1. Now Jehovah said unto Abram, Get thee out of 
thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father's house, unto 
the land that I will show thee. 

Is. 43 : 3. I have given Egypt as thy ransom, Ethiopia and Seba 
in thy stead. 

3. Rom. 8 : 16. The Spirit himself beareth witness with our 
spirit, that we are children of God. 

4. Ps. 139 : 15, 16. My frame was not hidden from thee, when I 
was made in secret, and curiously wrought in the lowest parts of 
the earth. Thine eyes did see mine unformed substance ; and in thy 
book they were all written, even the days that were ordained for me. 



THE REDEMPTIVE REVELAT: 3 

4. What is the distinct i: t r of the revelation of 
God through his servants and his Son Jesus Christ / 

The revelation of God through his servants and 
ids Christ is for a practical end, and con- 
cerns the redemptive work of God. This is inci- 
dentally true of God's revelation of himself in nature 
and humanity : but it is predominantly characteristic 
of his revelation through his servants and his Son 
Jesus Christ The purpose of the latter is to reveal 
to man the moral order of the world ; and therefore 
it relates chiefly to human duty and destiny. It is 
a disclosure of the heart of God to the heart of 
humanity. 

2 Chron. 24 : 19. Yet he sent prophets to them, to bring them 
again unto Jehovah. 

Luke 4 : 18, 19. The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he 
i me to preach good tidings to the poor: he hath sent me 
to proclaim release to the captives, and recovering of sight to the 
: set at liberty them that are bruised, to proclaim the accept- 
or of the Lord. 
John 18 : 37. To this end have I been born, and to this end am 

:rld, that I should bear witness unto the truth. 
John 10 : 10. I came that they may have life, and may have it 

26 : 18. To open their eyes, that they may turn from dark- 
ness to light and from the power of Satan unto God, that they may 

remission of sins and an inheritance among them that are 
sanctified by faith in me. 

5. I That considerations lay back of the redemptive 
.'.it 'ion , making it inevitable f 

Back of the redemptive revelation were the facts 
that God is a Person, all- wise and powerful, and there- 



4 A MANUAL FOR CHRISTIAN INSTRUCTION 

fore able to reveal himself to man ; l that God is 
love, and therefore desires to see man walk in right 
ways and be happy ; 2 that man, being made in God's 
image, can apprehend the revelation of God ; 3 and 
that man needs a special revelation to supplement the 
light of reason. 4 

1. Is. 40: 26. Lift up your eyes on high, and see who hath cre- 
ated these, that bringeth out their host by number ; he calleth them 
all by name; by the greatness of his might, and for that he is 
strong in power, not one is lacking. 

Ps. 147 : 5. Great is our Lord, and mighty in power ; his under- 
standing is infinite. 

2. John 3 : 16. For God so loved the world, that he gave his 
only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth on him should not 
perish, but have eternal life. 

Ps. 103 : 13. Like as a father pitieth his children, so Jehovah 
pitieth them that fear him. 

3. Ps. 8 : 5. Thou hast made him but little lower than God, 
and crownest him with glory and honor. 

4. Jer. 10 : 23. It is not in man that walketh to direct his steps. 

6. What was God^s method of revealing himself to 
man through his servants and his Son Jesus Christ f 

God sometimes spoke directly and audibly to his 
servants. 1 He often spoke to them in visions and 
dreams. 2 At other times his Spirit moved them to 
speak the word of the Lord. 3 In the fulness of time, 
he sent forth his Son, through whose life, teachings, 
sufferings, death and resurrection God was fully re- 
vealed to man. 4 The message usually bore the stamp 
of the individuality of the human instrument as well 
as the impress of the age in which it was spoken. 



THE REDEMPTIVE REVELATION 5 

i. Ex. 3:4. God called unto him out of the midst of the bush, 
and said, Moses, Moses. 

Matt. 3 : 17. And lo, a voice out of the heavens, saying, This is 
my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. 

Acts 26:14. I heard a voice saying unto me in the Hebrew 
language, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me? 

2. Dan. 2:19. Then was the secret revealed unto Daniel in a 
vision of the night. 

Acts 10 : 10, 11. But while they made ready, he fell into a trance ; 
and he beholdeth the heaven opened, and a certain vessel descend- 
ing, as it were a great sheet, let down by four corners upon the 
earth. 

3. 2 Pet. 1 : 21. Men spake from God, being moved by the Holy 
Spirit. 

4. Heb. 1:1,2. God, having of old time spoken unto the fathers 
in the prophets by divers portions and in divers manners, hath at 
the end of these days spoken unto us in his Son. 

7. Have we a record of GocTs redemptive revelation to 
ma?i f 

We have. The Bible, including the Old and New 
Testaments, is a partial record of that revelation. 1 
Some of God's revelations were not recorded, 2 and 
some that were recorded have been lost. 3 The 
Bible, however, is a record of those great spiritual 
truths, a knowledge of which is essential to man's 
salvation and happiness. 4 

1. Jer. 30 : 2. Write thee all the words that I have spoken unto 
thee in a book. 

Rev. 1 : 11. What thou seest, write in a book and send it to the 
seven churches. 

2. John 21 : 25. And there are also many other things which 
Jesus did, the which if they should be written every one, I sup- 
pose that even the world itself would not contain the books that 
should be written. 



6 A MANUAL FOR CHRISTIAN INSTRUCTION 

3. Num. 21 : 14. Wherefore it is said in the book of the Wars of 
Jehovah. 

1 Cor. 5:9. I wrote unto you in my epistle to have no company 
with fornicators. 

4. 2 Tim. 3 : 15. From a babe thou hast known the sacred writ- 
ings which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith 
which is in Christ Jesus. 

8. But are not the sacred books of the other religions 
records of God^s revelations to man ? 

God has inspired holy men in all ages and nations ; 
and they have given the world fragments of his 
truth : l but God raised up and educated the Hebrew 
people that through them he could specially reveal 
his moral and spiritual truth to mankind.* 2 

1. Acts 17:28. As certain even of your own poets have said, 
For we are also his offspring. 

2. Deut. 7 : 6. Jehovah thy God hath chosen thee to be a people 
for his own possession, above all peoples that are upon the face of 
the earth. 

John 4 : 22. Ye worship that which ye know not : we worship 
that which we know ; for salvation is from the Jews. 

9. What is the relation of the different parts of the 
Bible to one another f 

The Bible, though composed of many books, is 
yet, like the human body, an organic whole. 1 The 
different books elucidate and emphasize the eternal 
purpose of God in creation and redemption. 2 The 
Old Testament is the early dawn ; the New Testament, 
the noonday splendor. 3 The Gospels record the ful- 
filment of Old Testament hopes and prophecies 4 ; 



THE REDEMPTIVE REVELATION 7 

the Acts and Epistles are an elaboration and applica- 
tion of the teachings in the Gospels. 5 

i. Luke 24:27. And beginning from Moses and from all the 
prophets.be interpreted to them in all the scriptures the things con- 
cerning himself. 

2. John 5 : 39. Ye search the scriptures, because ye think that in 
them ye have eternal life ; and these are they which bear witness of 
me. 

. John 5 146. For if ye believed Moses, ye would believe me; for 
he wrote of me. 

John 1 : 45. We have found him, of whom Moses in the law, and 
the prophets, wrote. 

3. Heb. 10: 1. The law having a shadow of the good things to 
come. 

4. Luke 4 : 21. To-day hath this scripture been fulfilled in your 
ears. 

5. John 16 : 12, 13. I have yet many things to say unto you, but 
ye cannot bear them now. Howbeit, when he, the Spirit of truth, 
is come, he shall guide you into all the truth : for he shall not 
speak from himself; but what things soever he shall hear, these 
shall he speak. 

10. Are all the books of the Bible of equal importa7ice f 

The books of the Bible are not all of equal impor- 
tance. They are all necessary ; but, like the mem- 
bers of the human body, some are more excellent 
than others. 1 Like the Alps, the books represent 
varying heights of inspiration. 2 Isaiah is a sublimer 
revelation than Leviticus. John's Gospel surpasses 
the Epistle of James. Proverbs and Ecclesiastes 
contain practical suggestions relative to the conduct 
of life ; but they do not sound the depths of the re- 
ligious nature as do the Psalms, nor do they bear 
witness to the historic work of Christ, or to man's 



8 A MANUAL FOR CHRISTIAN INSTRUCTION 

great Helper, the Holy Spirit, or to the inspiring 
motives of God's love and the future world, as do the 
Gospels and Epistles. 3 

i. i Cor. 12: 18. But now hath God set the members each one 
of them in the body, even as it pleased him. 

2. John 7 : 46. Never man so spake. 

3. Matt. 12:42. The queen of the south . . . came from the 
ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon ; and behold, a 
greater than Solomon is here. 

1 1 . Upon what facts does the claim of the Bible to 
teach the truth rest f 

The claim of the Bible to teach the truth rests 
upon the facts that our Lord has declared its teach- 
ings to be true ; 1 that those teachings match the 
spiritual constitution and needs of man, 2 and that 
the fruit of those teachings is good, since they make 
people good and true and happy. 3 

1. John 17 : 17. Thy word is truth. 

John 10 : 35. The scripture cannot be broken. 

Matt. 5 : 18. Till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one 
tittle shall in no wise pass away from the law, till all things be ac- 
complished. 

2. Deut. 30: 14. The word is very nigh unto thee, in thy mouth, 
and in thy heart, that thou mayest do it. 

Jer. 15 : 16. Thy words were unto me a joy and the rejoicing of 
my heart. 

John 1 : 29. Behold, the Lamb of God, that taketh away the sin 
of the world ! 

3: Matt. 12 : 33. The tree is known by its fruit.- 

Matt. 7 : 16. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of 
thistles? 

Mark 3 : 23. How can Satan cast out Satan? 



THE REDEMPTIVE REVELATION 9 

12. What is the relation of the record of revelation to 
the teachings of revelation . 

The literary form and characteristics of the books 
of the Bible are important ; ' and attention must be 
given to them if we would grasp the living truth of 
which they are the vehicle, just as a child must 
attend to the words that convey the parent's thought. 2 
It is, however, true that words are but the clothes 
which the Scriptural teachings wear. Questions about 
the date, authorship and mode of inspiration of a 
book are of minor importance. 3 The teachings 
themselves are alive and spiritual. They thrill, 
quicken and uplift. 4 Disproportionate emphasis on 
the letter or garment of the living Word of God, be 
it in the interest of conservatism or radicalism, is 
scribism pure and simple. 5 

1. John 6 : 63. The words that I have spoken unto you are 
spirit, and are life. 

2. Jer. 15 : 16. Thy words were found, and I did eat them. 
Eph. 6 : 17. The sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. 

3. 2 Cor. 3 : 6. The letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life. 

4. 1 Pet. 1 : 23. The word of God, which liveth and abideth. 

5. Matt. 23 : 23. Ye tithe mint and anise and cummin, and have 
left undone the weightier matters of the law, justice, and mercy, 
and faith. 

Matt. 11 : 16, 17. Whereunto shall I liken this generation? It is 
like unto children sitting in the marketplaces, who call unto their 
fellows and say, We piped unto you, and ye did not dance; we 
wailed, and ye did not mourn. 

13. Is the revelatio7i of God as recorded in the Bible 
a progressive revelation t 



IO A MANUAL FOR CHRISTIAN INSTRUCTION 

It is. 1 Like the sensible teacher who, in the train- 
ing of his pupils, discontinues certain methods em- 
ployed when they were quite young, God varied his 
methods as his people advanced toward spiritual 
maturity, and gradually revealed his will to man that 
he might the better appreciate and use the light 
given. 2 The law came first ; centuries later, the 
gospel. 3 Immortality is promised in the Old Testa- 
ment ; it is brought to light in the New. 4 God's 
Spirit moved men of old ; but he came with greater 
fulness after Christ ascended. 5 The apostles, under the 
leading of the Spirit, amplify the teachings of Jesus. 6 

i. Mark 4: 28. First the blade, then the ear, then the full grain 
in the ear. 

2. Gal. 3 : 24. The law is become our tutor to bring us unto Christ. 

3. John 1 : 17. The law was given through Moses ; grace and truth 
came through Jesus Christ. 

Gal. 4 : 4. When the fulness of the time came, God sent forth 
his Son. 

4. 2 Tim. 1 : 10. Who abolished death, and brought life and 
immortality to light through the gospel. 

5. Acts 2 : 4. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and be- 
gan to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance. 

6. Rev. 1 : 10. I was in the Spirit on the Lord's day, and I heard 
behind me a great voice. 

14. If the teachings of the Old Testament are divinely 
inspired, how is it that some of them fall far below the 
ethical standard of to-day ? 

In the law that God gave to the Jews he permitted 
a man to give his wife a bill of divorcement, 1 allowed 
him to return evil for evil, 2 and regulated human sla- 



THE REDEMPTIVE REVELATION II 

very. 3 In regard to these and other like practices al- 
lowed, three things are evident : the divine permission 
of practices not consistent with an exalted ethical 
standard, since the ideal could not be enforced ; 4 the 
grief of God because of the hardness of men's hearts 
that necessitated this, and his assertion of the higher 
law for the nobler of the race ; 5 the consequent spir- 
itual education of the human family through such 
assertion, and through the application of the higher 
law by the better souls, just as by such application to 
the divorce, temperance and like problems is the 
social conscience to-day kept alive. 6 

1. Deut. 24 : 1. When a man taketh a wife, and marrieth her, 
then it shall be, if she find no favor in his eyes, because he hath 
found some unseemly thing in her, that he shall write her a bill of 
divorcement, and give it in her hand, and send her out of his house. 

2. Ex. 21 : 23-25. Thou shalt give life for life, eye for eye, tooth for 
tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, burning for burning, wound for 
wound, stripe for stripe. 

3. Ex. 21 : 2. If thou buy a Hebrew servant, six years he shall 
serve : and in the seventh he shall go out free for nothing. 

4. Matt. 19 : 8. Moses for your hardness of heart suffered you to 
put away your wives. 

5. Matt. 19 : 8. But from the beginning it hath not been so. 

6. Matt. 5 : 14. Ye are the light of the world. 

15. What were the occasions and necessities that fro?n 
time to time called forth from God the ?nessage recorded in 
the prophecies and epistles ? 

Those occasions and necessities usually concerned 
the state of society and the Church. Great political 
exigencies made necessary some of the prophetic 



12 A MANUAL FOR CHRISTIAN INSTRUCTION 

utterances. 1 The prophets also spoke frequently 
against idolatry, 2 luxury, 3 drunkenness 4 and oppres- 
sion of the poor by the rich. 5 Some of the epistles 
were written to individual churches to correct irregu- 
larities and abuses, 6 to enlighten the disciples in 
regard to questions that were troubling them, 7 or to 
give them words of comfort and exhortation. 8 

i. Is. 37 : 21, 22. Then Isaiah the son of Amoz sent unto Heze- 
kiah, saying, Thus saith Jehovah, the God of Israel, Whereas thou 
hast prayed to me against Sennacherib king of Assyria, this is the 
word which Jehovah hath spoken concerning him. 

Jer. 21 : 3, 4. Then saith Jeremiah unto them, Thus shall ye say 
to Zedekiah : Thus saith Jehovah, the God of Israel, Behold, I will 
turn back the weapons of war that are in your hands, wherewith ye 
fight against the king of Babylon. 

2. Hosea 4 : 13. They sacrifice upon the tops of the mountains, 
and burn incense upon the hills, under oaks and poplars and tere- 
binths. 

Zech. 13 : 2. I will cut off the names of the idols out of the land. 

3. Amos 6 : 4, 6. That lie upon beds of ivory, and stretch them- 
selves upon their couches, and eat the lambs out of the flock, and 
the calves out of the midst of the stall ; . . . that drink wine in bowls, 
and anoint themselves with the chief oils ; but they are not grieved 
for the affliction of Joseph. 

4. Is. 5 : 22. Woe unto them that are mighty to drink wine, and 
men of strength to mingle strong drink. 

5. Amos 4 : 1. Hear this word, ye kine of Bashan, that are in 
the mountain of Samaria, that oppress the poor, that crush the 
needy, that say unto their lords, Bring, and let us drink. 

Mic. 2:1, 2. Woe to them that devise iniquity and work evil 
upon their beds ! When the morning is light, they practise it, 
because it is in the power of their hand. And they covet fields, and 
seize them ; and houses, and take them away : and they oppress a 
man and his house, even a man and his heritage. 

6. 1 Cor. 11: 18, 21. I hear that divisions exist among you; and 
I partly believe it. . . . One is hungry, and another is drunken. 



rill. REDEMPTIVE REVELATION ! 3 

.5:1. It is actually reported that there i.^ fornication among 
you, and such fornication as is not even among the Gentiles, that 
one of you hath his father's wife, 

7. I Cor. 15:35. But some one will say, How are the dead 

raised? 

1 Thess. 4: 13. But we would not have you ignorant, brethren, 
concerning them that fall asleep. 

8. Rom. 12 : 1. I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies 
of God, to JilVsent your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to 
God, which is your spiritual service. 

16. What is the relation of God" s revelation in the 
Holy Scriptures to the light of Juunan reason f 

The revelation of God in the Holy Scriptures aids 
the reason in the quest after the true knowledge of 
God and man, just as the telescope aids the eye in 
the discovery and study of the heavenly bodies. And 
as by the use of that instrument the eye can reach 
distances not otherwise possible, so by the help of 
revelation the human mind ascends up into (i the 
timeless thought of God," and grasps truths impos- 
sible of discernment by human reason alone. The 
revelation in the Bible, however, only supplements 
the light of reason. Man's rational nature is a gift 
from God, and' is to be used to glorify him. 

Ps. 1 19 : 105. Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and light unto my 
path. 

Ps. 119: 130. The opening of thy words giveth light; it giveth 
understanding unto the simple. 

Rom. 15 : 4. For whatsoever things were written aforetime were 
written for our learning, that through patience and through comfort 
of the scriptures we might have hope. 

2 Tim. 3 : 16, 17. Every scripture inspired of God is also profit- 
able for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for instruction which is 



14 A MANUAL FOR CHRISTIAN INSTRUCTION 

in righteousness : that the man of God may be complete, furnished 
completely unto every good work. 

John 20 : 31. These are written, that ye may believe that jesus is 
the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye may have life in 
his name. 

1 John 5 : 13. These things have I written unto you, that ye may 
know that ye have eternal life, even unto you that believe on the 
name of the Son of God. 

17. Does God speak to his people to-day f 

God has not become dumb that he cannot speak, 
nor has he retired from the world so that his chil- 
dren no longer can have access to him or hear his 
voice. 1 He is the same God as of old — present with 
his people, speaking to them, 2 comforting them in 
affliction, 3 unveiling the wonders of the universe be- 
fore their eyes, 4 and originating and directing the 
world's great movements. 5 The transcendent im- 
portance of the Scriptures is due to the fact that they 
are the repository of fundamental moral and spiritual 
truth of which all subsequent revelations have been, 
and must continue to be, largely an amplification and 
application. 6 

1. Ps. 94 : 9. He that planted the ear, shall he not hear? He 
that formed the eye, shall he not see? 

Matt. 22 : 32. God is not the God of the dead, but of the living. 

2. Matt. 10 : 19. It shall be given you in that hour what ye shall 
speak. 

3. Matt. 28 : 20. Lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of 
the world. 

4. John 16: 13. When he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he shall 
guide you into all the truth. 

5. 1 Kings 18 : 36. Let it be known this day that thou art God in 



THE REDEMPTIVE REVELATION 15 

Israel, and that I am thy servant, and that I have done all these 
things at thy word. 

6. 1 John 2 : 7. No new commandment write I unto you, but an 
old commandment which ye had from the beginning. 

18. What does the Bible teach concerning the nature 

and attributes of Godt 

The Bible teaches that God is Spirit, 1 infinite, 2 
eternal : * and unchangeable, 4 in his Being, 5 wisdom, 6 
power, 7 love, s holiness, 9 justice, 10 goodness 11 and 
truth. 1 - 

1. John 4 : 24. God is a Spirit : and they that worship him must 
worship in spirit and truth. 

2. Job 11:7. Canst thou by searching find out God! Canst 
thou find out the Almighty unto perfection? 

3. Ps. 90 : 2. Even from everlasting to everlasting, thou art God, 

4. Jas. 1 : 17. The Father of lights, with whom can be no varia- 
tion, neither shadow that is cast by turning. 

5. Ex. 3 : 14. And God said unto Moses, I AM THAT I am. 

6. Ps. 147 : 5. His understanding is infinrte. 

7. Rev. 4 : 8. The Lord God, the Almighty. 

8. 1 John 4 : 8. God is love. 

9. Is. 6:3. Holy, holy, holy, is Jehovah of hosts. 

10. Ps. 89 : 14. Righteousness and justice are the foundation of 
thy throne. 

11. Ps. 100:5. Jehovah is good; his lovingkindness endureth 
for ever, and his faithfulness unto all generations. 

12. Ex. 34:6. Jehovah, Jehovah, a God merciful and gracious, 
slow to anger, and abundant in lovingkindness and truth. 

19. What does the Bible teach concerning God^s modes 
of existence and manifestation f 

The Bible teaches that there is one God, and one 
only, in the universe; 1 and that he exists and mani- 
fests himself as Father, Son and Holy Spirit. 2 



l6 A MANUAL FOR CHRISTIAN INSTRUCTION 

i. Deut. 6 : 4. Hear, O Israel : Jehovah our God is one Jehovah. 

1 Cor. 8 : 4. There is no God but one. 

Is. 45 : 22. I am God, and there is none else. 
2. Matt. 28 : 19. Baptizing them into the name of the Father and 
of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. 

2 Cor. 13 : 14. The Grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the 
love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit, be with you 
all. 

1 Cor. 12 : 4-6. Now there are diversities of gifts, but the same 
Spirit. And there are diversities of ministration, and the same Lord. 
And there are diversities of workings, but the same God, who work- 
eth all things in all. 

20. What does, the Bible principally teach concerning 
man f 

The Bible principally teaches, with respect to man, 
that his end is perfection according to God's laws of 
life stamped on his being at creation, early revealed in 
the Old Testament and completely manifested in the 
man Christ Jesus; 1 that God by divers ways and means 
helps and enables man to press forward toward this 
end, 2 and that man's duty is to respond to God's 
overtures by cooperating with him, and thus en- 
deavor to reach his goal. 3 

1. Matt. 5 : 48. Ye therefore shall be perfect, as your heavenly 
Father is perfect. 

2 Cor. 13 : 9. This we also pray for, even your perfecting. 

Phil. 1 : 6. Being confident of this very thing, that he who 
began a good work in you will perfect it until the clay of Jesus 
Christ. 

2. Ps. 54 : 4. God is my helper : the Lord is of them that up- 
hold my soul. 

Ps. 121 : 2. My help cometh from Jehovah, who made heaven 
and earth. 

1 Cor. 15 : 10. But by the grace of God I am what I am. 



THE END OF MAN 17 

3. Mark 10 : 21. Come, follow me. 

Matt. 11:28. Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy 
laden, and I will give you rest. 

Acts 16:31. Believe on the Lord Jesus, and thou shall be 
saved. 

1011117:37. If any man thirst, let him come unto me and 
drink. 

21. What is meant by perfection according to God's 
laws of life stamped on man's being, early revealed in the 
Old Testament and co?npletely manifested in the man 
Christ fesus f 

The perfection of man after this manner is his 
complete development : being the fulness of God 
possessing him and revealing itself in his life and con- 
duct, 1 just as the perfection of the plant is the fulness 
of the sun's life and energy, possessing and revealing 
itself through the plant. This fulness is indwelling as 
an experience, and it is outgoing, in that it seeks to 
bring the world into harmony with God. 2 Its central 
principle is ethical, since it is love that holds the 
primacy in the perfect life, directing all man's powers 
of body and intellect toward the highest ends. 3 In 
its action it is responsive to the call of duty from God 
and from man. 4 

1. Eph. 3 : 19. That ye may be filled unto all the fulness of 
God. 

2. John 14 : 15. If ye love me, ye will keep my command- 
ments. 

John 15:5. He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same 
beareth much fruit. 

3. Matt. 6:33. But seek ye first his kingdom, and his righteous- 
ness ; and all these things shall be added unto you. 



t8 A MANUAL FOR CHRISTIAN INSTRUCTION 

Matt. 13:44. The kingdom of heaven is like unto a treasure 
hidden in the field; which a man found, and hid; and in his joy 
he goeth and selleth all that he hath, and buyeth that field. 

Matt. 16:20, 22. Lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, 
where neither moth nor rust doth consume, and where thieves do 
not break through nor steal. ... If therefore thine eye be single, 
thy whole body shall be full of light. 

Matt. 16 : 24. If any man would come after me, let him deny 
himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. 

4. Ps. 40 : 8. I delight to do thy will, O my God ; yea, thy law is 
within my heart. 

Is. 1 : 16, 17. Wash you, make you clean ; put away the evil of 
your doings from before mine eyes ; cease to do evil ; learn to do 
well; seek justice, relieve the oppressed, judge the fatherless, and 
plead for the widow. 

22. In what ways does maris constitution show that 
God intended hitn to realize this type of perfection ? 

God made man an intellectual being with a body ; 
but he endowed him also with that which gives value 
to body and intellect, — a spiritual nature. 1 He 
created man in his own image, able to look Godward 
and love God, and manward and love man. 2 Human 
kindness and the feeling after God are coextensive 
with humanity. 3 God starts every human being in the 
right way by endowing him with this twofold capacity. 
This mighty fact is the real basis for his appeal to 
man to repent and turn to him. 

1. Gen. 1 : 27. And God created man in his own image, in the 
image of God created he him. 

2. Acts 17 : 26, 27. And he made of one every nation of men to 
dwell on all the face of the earth, having determined their appointed 
seasons, and the bounds of their habitation; that they should seek 
God, if haply they might feel after him and find him, though he is not 
far from each one of us. 



THE END OF MAN IQ 

3. Rom. 2 : 14. For when Gentiles that have not the law do by 
nature the things of the law, these, not having the law, are the law 
unto themselves. 

Acts 2S : 1, 2. And when we were escaped, then we knew that 
the island was called Melita. And the barbarians showed us no 
common kindness : for they kindled a fire, and received us all, 
because of the present rain, and because of the cold. 

23. /// what portioii of the Old Testament are these 
great ethical laws of love to God ajid love to man taught f 

The entire Old Testament is, essentially, an elabo- 
ration and application of the two principles of love 
to God and love to man ; l but they are fully and 
briefly stated in the Ten Commandments. 2 

1. Deut. 6 : 5. Thou shalt love Jehovah thy God with all thy heart, 
and with all thy soul, and with all thy might. • 

Lev. 19 : 18. Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. 

Matt. 22 : 40. On these two commandments the whole law hang- 
eth, and the prophets. 

Micah 6 : 8. And what doth Jehovah require of thee, but to do 
justly, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with thy God? 

2. Deut. 10 : 4. And he wrote on the tables, according to the first 
writing, the ten commandments, which Jehovah spake unto you 
in the mount. 

Ex. 20 : 3, 4, 7, 8, 12-17. Thou shalt have no other gods before me. 
Thou shalt not make unto thee a graven image. . . . Thou shalt not 
take the name of Jehovah thy God in vain. . . . Remember the sab- 
bath day, to keep it holy. . . . Honor thy father and thy mother. .. . 
Thou shalt not kill. Thou shalt not commit adultery. Thou shalt 
not steal. Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor. 
Thou shalt not covet . . . anything that is thy neighbor's. 

24. What Is reqiiired in the law of love to God f 

The law of love to God requires us to know and 
acknowledge him to be the only true God ; ] to wor- 



20 A MANUAL FOR CHRISTIAN INSTRUCTION 

ship and glorify him ; 2 to keep pure his worship and 
ordinances ; 3 to use aright his names, titles, attributes, 
ordinances, word and works, 4 and to keep holy the 
Lord's Day which God hath appointed for man. 5 

t. i Chron. 28:9. And thou, Solomon my son, know thou the 
God of thy father. 

Job 22 : 21. Acquaint now thyself with him, and be at peace. 

2. Matt. 4 : 10. Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him 
only shalt thou serve. 

Rom. 1 : 21. Because that, knowing God, they glorified him not 
as God, neither gave thanks. 

3. Deut. 12 : 32. What thing soever I command you, that shall ye 
observe to do : thou shalt not add thereto, nor diminish from it. 

Matt. 28 : 20. Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I 
commanded you. 

4. Ps. 29 : 2. Ascribe unto Jehovah the glory due unto his name. 
Job. 36 : 24. Remember that thou magnify his work, whereof 

men have sung. 

Rev. 15 .-3. Great and marvellous are thy works. 

5. Lev. 19:30. Ye shall keep my sabbaths, and reverence my 
sanctuary.: I am Jehovah. 

25. What is forbidde?i in the law of love to God? 

The law of love to God forbids us to deny God ; l 
to refuse the true worship that we owe him ; 2 to give to 
any other the honor that is due God ; 3 to worship God 
by images ; 4 to profane or abuse anything whereby God 
makes himself known, 5 or to be engaged on the 
Lord's Day with worldly employments or recreations. 6 

1. Ps. 14 : 1. The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God. 

2. Rom. 1 : 25. They exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and 
worshipped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is 
blessed forever. 

3. Ex. 20 : 3. Thou shalt have no other gods before me. 



TH1 : MAX 2 I 

Ps. 44 : 20, 21. I! a e have forgotten the name of our God, or spread 
forth our hands to a strange god ; will not God search this out ? 

4. Deut.4:i6. Lost ye corrupt yourselves, and make you a graven 
image. 

■ thou profane the name of thy God. 

6. Jer. 17 : 21. Take heea to yourselves, and bear no burden on 
the sabbath day. 

26. What is required in the .' to man t 

The law of love to man requires us to give honor 
to whom honor is due ; l to endeavor lawfully to pre- 
serve our lives and the lives of others ; - to preserve our 
nd our neighbor's chastity in heart, speech and 
behavior : 3 to promote the outward estate of ourselves 
and others ; 4 to further truth between man and man, 5 
and to be content with our own condition, with a right 
and charitable frame of mind toward our neighbor and 
all that he ha~ 

1. Rom. 13 : 7. Render to all their dues. 

Lev. 19 : 32. Thou shalt rise up before the hoary head, and 
honor the face of the old man. 

Rom. 12 : 10. In honor preferring one another. 

2. Prov. 24 : 11. Deliver them that are carried away unto death, 
and those that are ready to be slain see that thou hold back. 

3. 1 T _ _. That each one of you know how to possess him- 
: : his own vessel in sanctification and honor. 

1 Cor. 3 : 17. If any man destroyeth the temple of God, him shall 
God destroy ; for the temple of God is holy, and such ai 

2 Tim. 2 : 22. Flee youthful lusts. 

Eph. 5:3,4. But fornication, and all uncleanness, or cc 
ness, let it not even be named among you, as becometh saints ; nor 
ness, nor foolish talking, or jesting. 

4. Rom. 12 : 17. Take thought for things honorable in the sight of 
all men. 

Prov. 27 : 23. Be thou diligent to know the state of thy flocks, and 



22 A MANUAL FOR CHRISTIAN INSTRUCTION 

Lev. 25 : 35. If thy brother be waxed poor, and his hand fail 
with thee ; then thou shalt uphold him. 

5. Zech. 8 : 16. Speak ye every man the truth with his neighbor. 
Titus 3 : 2. Speak evil of no man. 

6. Heb. 13 : 5. Content with such things as ye have. 

27. What is forbidden in the law of love to man ? 

The law of love to man forbids us to do anything 
unlawfully against the honor or welfare of any one \ l 
to take away our own life or the life of our neighbor 
unjustly ; 2 to have unchaste thoughts, or speak un- 
chaste words, or do unchaste acts ; 3 to unjustly hinder 
our fellow man's wealth or outward estate ; 4 to say 
anything about our neighbor that is not true, 5 or to 
envy our neighbor or be grieved because of his 
success. 6 

1. Rom. 13 : 8. Owe no man anything, save to love one another. 

2. Ex. 20 : 13. Thou shalt not kill. 
Acts 16 128. Do thyself no harm. 

3. Matt. 5 : 28. Every one that looketh on a woman to lust after 
her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart. 

Eph. 4 : 29. Let no corrupt speech proceed out of your mouth. 
Eph. 5 : 12. For the things which are done by them in secret it is 
a shame even to speak of. 

4. Prov. 20 : 10. Diverse weights, and diverse measures, both of 
them alike are an abomination to Jehovah. 

Deut. 19 : 14. Thou shalt not remove thy neighbor's landmark. 

5. Eph. 4 : 25. Putting away falsehood, speak ye truth each one 
with his neighbor. 

Ex. 23 : 1. Thou shalt not take up a false report. 
Lev. 19 : 16. Thou shalt not go up and down as a talebearer 
among thy people. 

6. Ex. 20 : 17. Thou shalt not covet thy neighhor's house, thou 
shalt not covet thy neighbor's wife, nor his man-servant, nor his maid- 
servant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor anything that is thy neighbor's. 



THE END OF MAN 23 

28. Illicit is the relation of love to man to love to God? 

Love to man grows out of and is dependent on love 
to God. 1 The interest that man manifests in the wel- 
fare of his fellow man is very largely the fruit of that 
love of God that has been shed abroad in his heart. 2 
Our present-day philanthropy is the product of the all- 
pervading faith and love which, in persuading us to be 
true children of the Father in heaven, has moved us 
to recognize' one another as brothers. 3 

1. John 8 : 28. I do nothing of myself, but as the Father taught 
me, I speak these things. . 

2 Cor. 5 : 14. For the love of Christ constraineth us. 

2. John 14 : 10. The Father abiding in me doeth his works. 
Rom. 1 : 9, 10. For God is my witness, whom I serve in my spirit 

in the gospel of his Son, how unceasingly I make mention of you, 
always in my prayers making request, if by any means now at 
length I may be prospered by the will of God to come unto you. 

3. Acts 2 : 43-45. And fear came upon every soul . . . and all that 
believed were together, and had all things common ; and they sold 
their possessions and goods, and parted them to all, according as 
any man had need. 

29. Did the best ?nen of the Old Testainent exemplify 
these two principles of love to God and love to man in their 
lives ? 

The best men of the Old Testament were living 
illustrations of many of these teachings of which they 
were the exponents. 1 They, however, did not per- 
fectly live the laws of love to God and love to man in 
their manifold application. Though strong in many 
points of excellence, they were weak in others. 2 



24 A MANUAL FOR CHRISTIAN INSTRUCTION 

1. Gen. 12:4. So Abram went, as Jehovah had spoken unto 
him. 

Gen. 5 : 24. Enoch walked with God. 

Ex. 7 : 20. And Moses and Aaron did so, as Jehovah com- 
manded. 

1 Sam. 3 : 1. And the child Samuel ministered unto Jehovah 
before Eli. 

Dan. 6 : 10. And when Daniel knew that the writing was signed, 
he went into his house . . . and he kneeled upon his knees three 
times a day, and prayed, and gave thanks before his God, as he 
did aforetime. 

Gen. 13 : 8. And Abram said unto Lot, Let there be no strife, I 
pray thee, between me and thee, and between my herdsmen and thy 
herdsmen ; for we are brethren. 

Gen. 39 : 10. And it came to pass, as she spake to Joseph day by 
day, that he hearkened not unto her, to lie by her, or to be with her. 

Gen. 18:8. And he took butter, and milk, and the calf which he 
had dressed, and set it before them. 

2. Gen. 12:18. And Pharaoh called Abram, and said, What is 
this that thou hast done unto me ? Why didst thou not tell me 
that she was thy wife ? 

Num. 20:12. And Jehovah said unto Moses and Aaron, Be- 
cause ye believed not in me, to sanctify me in the eyes of the chil- 
dren of Israel, therefore ye shall not bring this assembly into the land 
which I have given them. 

30. Has there ever lived a ??tan who co?nftletely fulfilled 
in his own life the two laws of love to God and love to 
man? 

Jesus perfectly fulfilled in his life the two laws of 
love to God and love to man. 1 Other men have been 
strong at some points \ Jesus was complete at every 
point. His life was the perfect, harmonious response 
to the call of duty from God and from man.' 2 Believ- 
ers and unbelievers concede that he was the only per- 
fect man who ever lived. 3 



THE END OF MAX 2 5 

i. Luke 2 : 49. Knew ye not that I must be in my Father's house ? 

John 4 : 34. My meat is to do the will of him that sent me, and 
to aceomplish his work. 

Luke 4:1,2. And Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from 
the Jordan, and was led in the Spirit in the wilderness during forty 
days. 

Matt. 4 123. And Jesus went about in all Galilee, teaching in their 
synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing 
all manner of disease and all manner of sickness among the people. 

2. Heb. 5 : 9. And having been made perfect, he became unto 
all them that obey him the author of eternal salvation. 

1 Pet. 2 : 22. Who did no sin, neither was guile found in his 
mouth. 

John 1 : 16. Of his fulness we all received, and grace for grace. 

3. John 1 : 14. And we beheld his glory, glory as of the only be- 
gotten from the Father, full of grace and truth. 

Luke 2 : 40. And the grace of God was upon him. 

3 1 . Explain how the law of love to God was manifested 
in the character ofjesns. 

Jesus in his incarnate life as a man was filled with 
God. 1 The fountain of his life was in God. 2 His 
nature was open to God. 3 He therefore perfectly- 
thought God's thought and willed his will. 4 He 
loved, trusted, honored, obeyed and prayed to the 
Father. 5 He conformed his life to the command- 
ments of God. He thus fulfilled our ideal of man's 
relation to God. 

1. Luke 4 : 14. And Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit 
into Galilee. 

Col. 1 : 19. For it was the good pleasure of the Father that in 
him should all the fulness dwell. 

2. John 5 : 26. For as the Father hath life in himself, even so 
gave he to the Son also to have life in himself. 

3. John 5 : 30. As I hear, I judge. 



26 A MANUAL FOR CHRISTIAN INSTRUCTION 

4. Matt. 26 : 39. Nevertheless, not as I will, but as thou wilt. 
Rom. 15 : 3. For Christ also pleased not himself. 

5. Luke 2 : 40. And the child grew, and waxed strong, filled with 
wisdom : and the grace of God was upon him. 

Phil. 2 : 8. Becoming obedient even unto death, yea, the death 
of the cross. 

John 9 : 4. We must work the works of him that sent me, while 
it is day. 

Heb. 12 : 2. Endured the cross, despising shame. 

Matt. 14 : 23. And after he had sent the multitudes away, he went 
up into the mountain apart to pray. 

32. Explain how the law of love to man was manifested 
in the character of Jesus. 

Jesus was kind and considerate, tolerant and sympa- 
thetic. 1 He taught those truths that have to do with 
man's highest welfare. 2 He went about doing good 
and healing people of infirmities. 3 In his ministry 
of teaching and mercy, he recognized no class dis- 
tinctions. 4 He fulfilled our ideal of man's relation to 
man. 

1. John 11 : 36. The Jews therefore said, Behold how he loved 
him ! 

Luke 19 : 41. And when he drew nigh, he saw the city and wept 
over it. 

Luke 9 : 54, 55. Wilt thou that we bid fire to come down from 
- heaven, and consume them ? But he turned, and rebuked them. 

2. Luke 4 131. And he was teaching them on the sabbath day. 
y Luke 4 : 22. And all bear him witness, and wondered at the 

words of grace which proceeded out of his mouth. 

3. Matt. 12:15. And many followed him; and he healed them 
all. 

Acts 10 : 38. Who went about doing good, and healing all that 
were oppressed of the devil. 

4. Matt. 9 : 10. Many publicans and sinners came and sat down 
with Jesus and his disciples. 



THE END OF MAN 2J 

33. Illicit was the relation of the intellectual to the 
ethical in the character of Jesus t 

/The Master's intellect was of the highest order, that 
of intuitional insight and spiritual penetration. His 
conception of the kingdom of God was sublime. 1 His 
imagination was responsive to the beautiful in the 
world. 2 He time and again demonstrated his intel- 
lectual pecrlessness among the ablest men of his day. 3 
His method of teaching by parables was absolutely 
original. 4 His insight into life was marvelous 5 and 
his prophetic outlook without parallel. 6 But great 
as was the intellectual, it was dominated by the ethi- 
cal. In his life the spiritual was supreme, and kept 
the intellect in its normal orbit of thought. 7 

1. John 7 : 46. Never man so spake. 

Luke 4 : 32. And they were astonished at his teaching; for his 
word was with authority. 

2. Matt. 6 : 28. Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow ; 
they toil not, neither do they spin. 

3. Matt. 22:46. And no one was able to answer him a word, neither 
durst any man from that day forth ask him any more questions. 

4. Matt. 13 : 3. He spake to them many things in parables. 

5. John 2 : 25. He needed not that any one should bear witness 
concerning man ; for he himself knew what was in man. 

6. Matt. 24 : 2. Verily I say unto you, There shall not be left 
here one stone upon another, that shall not be thrown down. 

7. John 5 : 30. I seek not mine own will, but the will of him that 
sent me. 

34. How were the letter and the spirit of duty mutually 
related in the character of Jesus t 

The letter and the spirit of duty to God and man 
found recognition in his character. He was bap- 



28 A MANUAL FOR CHRISTIAN INSTRUCTION. 

tized. 1 He attended public worship. 2 He kept the 
passover. 3 He obeyed the laws of his country. 4 But 
with the letter of duty went the spirit. 5 He taught 
that worship must have reality, and that prayer must 
not be vain repetition. 6 Thus the letter and the 
spirit interpenetrated each other in the character of 
Jesus. 

i. Mark i : 9. Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee, and was 
baptized of John in the Jordan. 

2. Luke 4 : 16. And he entered, as his custom was, into the syna- 
gogue on the sabbath day. 

3. Luke 2 :42. And when he was twelve years old, they went up 
after the custom of the feast. 

Luke 22 : 15. With desire I have desired to eat this passover 
with you before I suffer. 

4. Matt. 17 : 27. Lest we cause them to stumble, go thou to the 
sea, and cast a hook, and take up the fish that first cometh up ; and 
when thou hast opened his mouth, thou shalt find a shekel: that 
take, and give unto them for me and thee. 

Matt. 8 : 4. Go, show thyself to the priest, and offer the gift that 
Moses commanded. 

5. Matt. 5 : 22. Every one who is angry with his brother shall be 
in danger of the judgment. 

6. Matt. 6 : 7. And in praying use not vain repetitions, as the 
Gentiles do. 

35. How were the sterner and the gentler virtues 
blended in the character of Jesus f 

These contrasted virtues coexisted in the most 
beautiful harmony in his character. He had the 
strength and courage of the great reformer. 1 He 
vehemently denounced sin and hypocrisy. 2 Yet he 
was gentle and lovable. His personality was charm- 
ing. 3 



THE END OF MAN 29 

1. Matt. 23:25. Woo unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypo- 
crites ! 

Matt. 21 : 12. And Jesus entered into the temple of God, and 
cast out all them that sold and bought in the temple, and overthrew 
the tables of the money-changers, and the seats of them that sold 
the doves. 

2. Matt. 23:33. Ye serpents, ye offspring of vipers, how shall 
ye escape the judgment of hell ? 

3. Luke 18 : 15, 16. And they were bringing unto him also their 
babes, that he should touch them : but when the disciples saw it, 
they rebuked them. But Jesus called them unto him, saying, 
Suffer the little children to come unto me, and forbid them not : for 
to such belongeth the kingdom of God. 

36. What relatio7i did the mystic qualities bear to the 
social and ?nore active qualities in the character of Jesus f 

Jesus was both a mystic l and a man among men. 
He enjoyed a nearness to God that made him inde- 
pendent of man. 2 He directly participated in the 
life of God. 3 He loved to be alone with the Father. 4 
Yet he was no pietistic monk in the cloister. Nor did 
he shun the society of the rich. He mingled freely 
with men. 5 He took an interest in the movement of 
human life about him. 6 

1. John 8 : 16. I am not alone, but I and the Father that sent 
me. 

2. John 4 : 32. I have meat to eat that ye know not. 

3. John 14:11. Believe me that I am in the Father, and the 
Father in me. 

4. Luke 5:16. But he withdrew himself in the deserts, and 
prayed. 

5. Luke 11: 37. A Pharisee asketh him to dine with him: and 
he went in, and sat down to meat. 

Matt. 9 : 10. And it came to pass, as he sat at meat in the house, 
behold, many publicans and sinners came and sat down with Jesus 
and his disciples. 



30 A MANUAL FOR CHRISTIAN INSTRUCTION 

6. John 2:1,2. And the third day there was a marriage in Cana 
of Galilee ; and the mother of Jesus was there : and Jesus also was 
bidden, and his disciples, to the marriage. 

37. If, then, from the first God has taught man that 
his ditty is to love him with all his heart, and soul, and 
mind, and strength, and to love his fellow man as hifnself '; 
and if Jesus Christ was the C07nplete fulfih?ient of this two- 
fold principle, what is the chief end of man f 

The chief end of man is to reproduce in himself 
and in others the Christ character. The body and 
the intellect are to be developed ; but the ethical 
must maintain the primacy in the life of man. Hap- 
piness is an incentive ; but the perfection of character 
is the goal. 

Eph. 4 : 13. Till we all attain unto the unity of the faith, and of 
the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a fullgrown man, unto the 
measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ. 

Col. 1 : 28. Whom we proclaim, admonishing every man and 
teaching every man in all wisdom, that we may present every man 
perfect in Christ. 

Gal. 6 : 15. For neither is circumcision anything, nor uncircum- 
cision, but a new creature. 

1 Peter 2 : 21. Leaving you an example, that ye should follow his 
steps. 

38. What is the chief office of the church ? 

The church educates people, 1 ministers to them 
through medical missions and hospital service, 2 ex- 
tends relief to the needy ; 3 but the chief office of 
the church, including the Sunday-school and all other 
branches, is to teach the character of Jesus, 4 the 



THE END OF MAN 3 1 

secret and sources of its completeness, 5 and to help 
God's children, so far as is possible, to reproduce 
that character. ,; 

i. Dcut. 6:7. And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy 
children. 

2. Matt. 10: 8. Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the lepers, 
cast out demons. 

3. Rom. 15 126. For it hath been the good pleasure of Mace- 
donia and Achaia to make a certain contribution for the poor 
among the saints that are at Jerusalem. 

4. Matt. 10:7. And as ye go, preach, saying, The kingdom of 
heaven is at hand. 

Matt. 28 : 20. Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I 
commanded you. 

5. John 3 13. Except one be born anew, he cannot see the 
kingdom of God. 

6. Titus 2 : 1-3. But speak thou the things which befit the 
sound doctrine : that aged men be temperate, grave, sober-minded, 
sound in faith, in love, in patience: that aged women likewise be 
reverent in demeanor, not slanderers nor enslaved to much wine, 
teachers of that which is good. 

39. JVherein does Christianity agree with the other 
religions of the world, and wherein does it differ from 
them f 

The other religions, in common with Christianity, 
usually emphasize man's relation to God and his fel- 
low man. 1 In some of their sacred books there are 
many beautiful precepts, but no complete ethical sys- 
tem. Christianity presents a Person, Jesus Christ, in 
whom this twofold relation is ideally realized in terms 
of an indwelling and outgoing love. 2 The other re- 
ligions are powerless after setting before man his chief 



32 A MANUAL FOR CHRISTIAN INSTRUCTION 

end ; the religion of Christ is a great system of mo- 
tives and means to the highest end. 3 

i. Acts 17: 23. For as I passed along, and observed the objects 
of your worship, I found also an altar with this inscription, To AN 
UNKNOWN GOD. What therefore ye worship in ignorance, this I 
set forth unto you. 

2. John 1 : 45. We have found him, of whom Moses in the law, 
and the prophets, wrote. 

Heb. 9 : 26. But now once at the end of the ages hath he been 
manifested to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself. 

John 13 : 34. A new commandment I give unto you, that ye love 
one another. 

3. Matt. 5 : 10. Blessed are they that have been persecuted for 
righteousness' sake : for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 

Phil. 4 : 13. I can. do all things in him that strengtheneth me. 

40. Does one*s happiness now and hereafter depend on 
likeness to Christ ? 

It does. In this present life people are truly happy 
in proportion as their minds daily and hourly are open 
to God's thought and love and life, and to man's 
needs. 1 The one passport to heaven is a character 
rightly builded in its relation to God and man. 2 

1. Matt. 5:3-9. Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is 
the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are they that mourn : for they 
shall be comforted. Blessed are the meek : for they shall inherit the 
earth. Blessed are they that hunger and thirst after righteousness : 
for they shall be filled. Blessed are the merciful: for they shall 
obtain mercy. Blessed are the pure in heart : for they shall see 
God. Blessed are the peacemakers : for they shall be called sons 
of God. 

2. Rev. 21 : 27. And there shall in nowise enter into it anything 
unclean, or he that maketh an abomination and a lie : but only 
they that are written in the Lamb's book of life ? 



THE END OF MAN 33 

41. What is the fetation of the Christ character to 
crime and other social disorders t 

To the absence of this high type of character can 
very largely be traced unhappiness in the home, cor- 
ruption in politics and about every other form of 
crime ; l indifference to the claims of religion, injus- 
tice on the part of capitalist and laborer, ecclesiasti- 
cal bitterness and intolerance, 2 as well as the decline 
and fall of nations, such as the great states of an- 
tiquity and some of lesser note in modern times. 3 

1. Mark 7 : 21, 22. For from within, out of the heart of men, evil 
thoughts proceed, fornications, thefts, murders, adulteries, covet- 
ings, wickednesses, deceit, lasciviousness, an evil eye, railing, pride, 
foolishness. 

2. James 4 : 1. Whence come wars and whence come fightings 
among you? come they not hence, even of your pleasures that war 
in your members? 

3. Is. 60 : 12. For that nation and kingdom that will not serve 
thee shall perish. 

Hosea 10 : 13, 14. Ye have plowed wickedness, ye have reaped 
iniquity ; ye have eaten the fruit of lies. . . . Therefore shall a 
tumult arise among thy people, and all thy fortresses shall be 
destroyed. 

Rom. 1:21,24. Because that, knowing God, they glorified him 
not as God, neither gave thanks ; but became vain in their reason- 
ings, and their senseless heart was darkened. . . . Wherefore God 
gave them up in the lusts of their hearts unto uncleanness, that their 
bodies should be dishonored among themselves. 

42. What is the relation of the Chi'ist character to the 
progress of human society ? 

Reform, 1 philanthropy, 2 the integrity of the home, 3 
the progress of the kingdom, 4 the advancement of 



34 A MANUAL FOR CHRISTIAN INSTRUCTION 

the state, 5 the peace of the world and the fair deal- 
ing of nation with nation, 6 depend, in the final analy- 
sis, on the Christly character of the units of human 
society. Those units are human souls. 

1. 2 Kings 18:4. He removed the high places, and brake the 
pillars, and cut down the Asherah. 

2. Acts 11:29. And the disciples, every man according to his 
ability, determined to send relief unto the brethren that dwelt in 
Judaea. 

3. Eph. 5 :g. The fruit of the light is in all goodness and right- 
eousness and truth. 

4. Eph. 5 : 15, 16. Look therefore carefully how ye walk, not as 
unwise, but as wise ; redeeming the time, because the days are evil. 

1 Peter 3:1,2. That, even if any obey not the word, they may 
without the word be gained by the behavior of their wives ; be- 
holding your chaste behavior coupled with fear. 

Acts 13 : 2, 3. And as they ministered to the Lord, and fasted, 
the Holy Spirit said, Separate me Barnabas and Saul for the work 
whereunto I have called them. Then, when they had fasted and 
prayed and laid their hands on them, they sent them away. 

5. Joshua 1:7. Turn not from it to the right hand or to the 
left, that thou mayest have good success whithersoever thou goest. 

6. Ex. 8 : 29. Let not Pharaoh deal deceitfully any more in not 
letting the people go to sacrifice to Jehovah. 

43. Has the Christ charade}' since the time of our 
Saviour secured a strong hold on 7 nan kind? 

It has. In the days of the apostles multitudes of 
men and women loved God with all their heart, soul, 
mind and strength ; and their neighbor as them- 
selves. 1 And to-day millions love and obey God, 
believe the Scriptures, keep the Lord's Day, follow 
the leading of the Spirit, have been baptized, cele- 
brate the Lord's Supper, love the Church and would 



THE END OF MAN 35 

be burned at the stake rather than deny their Lord. 
They are kind to the poor, blind and insane ; are 
truthful, just, merciful and tolerant; are earnest in 
reform and the elevation of their fellow men/ 2 

i. Acts 2:47. Praising God, and having favor with all the 
people. 

Phil. 2 : 12. So then, my beloved, even as ye have always obeyed, 
not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, 
work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. 

Rev. 2 : 19. I know thy works, and thy love and faith and min- 
istry and patience. 

2. Mark 4:31, 32. It is like a grain of mustard seed, which, 
when it is sown upon the earth, though it be less than all the seeds 
that are upon the earth, yet when it is sown, groweth up, and be- 
cometh greater than all the herbs, and putteth out great branches ; 
so that the birds of the heaven can lodge under the shadow thereof. 

44. Is it possible for us to become like Christ and yet 
retain our diversity as to personality ? 

It is. 1 The very principle of Christ's life insists on 
the development of one's personality. God has wisely 
ordered that, while he desires all his children to be- 
come like his Son, each is to preserve his own dis- 
tinctive individuality. 2 The life of God in the soul 
divests the nature of its crudities, and allows our truest 
self to glorify God in its own way. 3 John and Peter 
can both be Christlike, though their characteristics 
are widely different. 

1. 1 Cor. 15 : 41. One star differeth from another star in glory. 

2. 1 Cor. 12 : 14. The body is not one member, but many. 

3. 1 Cor. 12 : 29, 30. Are all apostles ? are all prophets ? are 
all teachers ? are all workers of miracles ? have all gifts of heal- 
ings ? do all speak with tongues ? do all interpret ? 



36 A MANUAL FOR CHRISTIAN INSTRUCTION 

45. But can man without help grow to the stature of 
his Master and thus attain his end? 

Man cannot attain his end in the spirit of self-suffi- 
ciency. 1 Of himself he is unable to fashion his life 
and character according to the laws of God manifested 
in the man Christ Jesus. 2 The tree of itself cannot 
grow and bear fruit. The elements of earth and atmos- 
phere are communicated to the tree, that it may fulfill 
its end. 3 So man cannot evolve from within the 
means of growth. He needs help from God. 4 

1. John 3 : 27. A man can receive nothing, except it have been 
given him from heaven. 

2. John 15 : 4. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except 
it abide in the vine ; so neither can ye, except ye abide in me. 

3. Is. 55 : 10. The rain cometh down and the snow from heaven, 
and returneth not thither, but watereth the earth, and maketh it 
bring forth and bud. 

4. Ps. 121 : 2. My help cometh from Jehovah, who made heaven 
and earth. 

Jas. 1 : 17. Every good gift and every perfect gift is from 
above, coming down from the Father of lights. 

Eph. 2 : 8. For by grace have ye been saved through faith ; and 
that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God. 

Phil. 2: 13. It is God who worketh in you both to will and to 
work, for his good pleasure. 



46. In what ways does God help man to attain his 
end and become like Jesus ? 

God helps man attain his end by so ordering his 
constitution and that of the world as to make progress 
toward perfection possible ; * by putting man under 
the sway of powerful motives; 2 by bestowing upon 



AN ORDERED WORLD 37 

man his Holy Spirit/* and by establishing for man 
institutions in which his life here is to manifest 
itself. 4 

i. Eccl. 7 : 29. God made man upright. 

Is. 45 : 6, 7. I am Jehovah, and there is none else. I form the 
light, and create darkness; I make peace, and create evil; I am 
Jehovah that doeth all these things. 

Gen. 1 : 31. And God saw every thing that he had made, and, 
behold, it was very good. 

2. Rom. 2 : 4. The goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance. 
Heb. 12 : 1. Therefore let us also, seeing we are compassed 

about with so great a cloud of witnesses, lay aside every weight, and 
the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience 
the race that is set before us. 

3. Rom. 8 : 26. And in like manner the Spirit also helpeth our 
infirmity : for we know not how to pray as we ought ; but the Spirit 
himself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be 
uttered. 

4. Rom. 13 : 1. The powers that be are ordained of God. 

47. In order that progress toward perfection may be 
possible, with what does God endow man at creation ? 

God endowed man at creation with the possibilities 
of sin and righteousness. 1 He made him a free moral 
agent/ 2 liable to sin, but able also to see the path of 
duty and walk therein. Man at birth is innocent, 
but he is not holy. He knows right and wrong, not 
as eternal distinctions, but simply as things forbidden 
and not forbidden. 3 The story of Adam and Eve 
is duplicated every time a child is born into the 
world. 

1. Gen. 2 : 16, 17. And Jehovah God commanded the man, say- 
ing, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat : but of the 



38 A MANUAL FOR CHRISTIAN INSTRUCTION 

tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it : for 
in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die. 

2. Josh. 24 : 15. Choose you this day whom ye will serve. 

3. Deut. 1 : 18. And I commanded you at that time all the things 
which ye should do. 

48. If man knew not what is morally dad, could he 
recognize what is morally good? 

He could not. Man knows the good through its 
contrast with the bad. As the sweet and the pleas- 
urable are known by their contrast with the bitter 
and the painful, so the good is recognizable by its 
differentiation from the evil. 

Gen. 3 : 5. God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then 
your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as God, knowing good 
and evil. 

Rom. 7 : 7. Howbeit, I had not known sin, except through the 
iaw : for I had not known coveting, except the law had said, Thou 
shalt not covet. 

1 Cor. 11 : 19. For there must be also factions among you, 
that they that are approved may be made manifest among you. 

49. Man thus endowed with the possibilities of sin 
and righteousness is placed by God in what sort of a 
world? 

Thus endowed, man is placed by God in a world 
where it is necessary for him to freely choose his 
own course of conduct, 1 unfold either the possibility 
of sin or the possibility of righteousness, gain 
strength by honest toil and struggle or remain weak 
through indolence, 2 and move downward or upward 
in the scale of manly attainment. The world that 



AN ORDERED WORLD 39 

confronted our first parents is, in its essential features, 
the world that to-day confronts us. 

i. Gen. 2:8,9. And Jehovah God planted a garden eastward, 

in Eden; and there he put the man whom he had formed. And 
out of the ground made Jehovah God to grow every tree that is 
pleasant to the sight, and good for food ; the tree of life also in the 
midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. 
2. Gen. 2:15. And Jehovah God took the man, and put him 
into the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it. 

50. What arc the objects concerning which man's 
powers of obedience and disobedience can be freely exer- 
cised and tested 7 

Those objects are the things forbidden and the 
things not forbidden ; and these include all thoughts, 
words and acts possible for man in his individual 
and social relations. 1 In order that one may freely 
choose the good, the opportunity to refuse the bad 
must also be present. 2 The line of cleavage between 
these two classes of objects of choice is made plain 
by the moral law revealed to the conscience, 3 as well 
as in the Bible. 

1. Gen. 3 : 2, 3. Of the fruit of the trees of the garden we may 
eat : but of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, 
God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest 
ye die. 

Rom. 12:9. Abhor that which is evil; cleave to that which is 
good. 

2. Deut. 11:26. Behold, I set before you this day a blessing 
and a curse. 

3. Rom. 1 : 19. That which is known of God is manifest in them. 
Rom. 2 : 15. They show the work of the law written in their 

hearts, their conscience bearing witness therewith, and their 
thoughts one with another accusing or else excusing them. 



40 A MANUAL FOR CHRISTIAN INSTRUCTION 

5 1 . Why did not ' God create a race of beings and 
place it in a world free froin even the possibility of 
sin f 

To make man at all, it was essential that God make 
him a free moral agent. 1 Without the power of free 
choice man would have been but a machine. 2 To 
make man a free moral agent was to endow him with 
the possibility of sin. Man thus was created on the 
only possible rational plan, — liable to sin and go 
down to misery, but able to stand and " lay hold on 
the higher good, and ascend to immortal glory." 3 

i. Gen. 3 : II. Hast thou eaten of the tree, whereof I com- 
manded thee that thou shouldest not eat? 

2. Ezra 7 : 13. I make a decree, that all they of the people of 
Israel, and their priests and the Levites, in my realm, that are 
minded of their own free will to go to Jerusalem, go with thee. 

3. Rev. 2 : 7. To him that overcometh, to him will I give to eat 
of the tree of life, which is in the Paradise of God. 

Rev. 2 : 10. Be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee the 
crown of life. 

Jas. 1 : 12. Blessed is the man that endureth temptation ; for 
when he hath been approved, he shall receive the crown of life, 
which the Lord promised to them that love him. 

52. Are industry and struggle necessary features of a 
world adapted to the highest develop7?tent of the human 
family f 

While much toil and hardship are the direct result 
of man's disobedience, 1 it is also true that without 
industry and struggle this world would lack elements 
that make for strength of character and for the 
highest discipline of the soul. 2 Numerous instances 



AN ORDERED WOULD 41 

of moral and intellectual weaklings brought up amid 
ease and indolence confirm this truth. 3 It used to be 
a saying among the monks that " an idle monk is be- 
sieged by seven devils ; a busy monk by one devil." 
The modern world of industrial movements involving 
temptations and intense mental strain has its risks, 
but it also brings with it magnificent opportunities 
for intellectual and spiritual improvement. 

1. Gen. 3 : 19. In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till 
thou return unto the ground. 

2. Gen. 1:28. And God said unto them, Be fruitful, and mul- 
tiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it. 

3. Prov. 21 : 25. The desire of the sluggard killeth him ; for his 
hands refuse to labor. 



53. Thus created an innocent, free moral agent, ana 1 
placed in a world adapted to his progress toward perfec- 
tion, what does man do ? 

Man begins to exercise his God-given powers on 
things forbidden and not forbidden ; * and, besought 
by both the evil 2 and the good 3 Spirit, he yields now 
to the lower, now to the higher. Sin and righteous- 
ness as known to man thus make their advent ; and 
the evil and the good tendencies that in this way have 
been evolved out of the possibilities perpetuate them- 
selves in the life of the individual and the race. 4 

1. Gen. 3 : 6. And when the woman saw that the tree was good 
for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was 
to be desired to make one wise, she .took of the fruit thereof, and 
did eat ; and she gave also unto her husband with her, and he 
did eat. 



42 A MANUAL FOR CHRISTIAN INSTRUCTION 

2. Gen. 3 : 4. And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not 
surely die. 

3. Gen. 3 : 9. And Jehovah God called unto the man, and said 
unto him, Where art thou ? 

4. Ex. 20 : 5, 6. Visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the chil- 
dren, upon the third and upon the fourth generation of them that 
hate me, and showing lovingkindness unto thousands of them that 
love me and keep my commandments. 



54. If God deliberately ereates man. knowing that he 
will sin, and then permits him to sin, is not sin God's 
work ? 

No, sin is not God's work any more than a son's 
sin is the work of the parent who begot him and 
started him in the path of duty with the best of moral 
inheritance and the highest ideals. 1 God permits 
sin only that he may overrule it for a higher good \ 2 
but he never sanctions it. He always condemns it 
and warns men of its consequences. 3 

1. Rom. 3 : 4. God forbid : yea, let God be found true, but every 
man a liar. 

1 John 1 : 5. God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. 

2. Matt. 18:7. Woe unto the world because of occasions of 
stumbling! for it must needs be that the occasions come; but woe 
to that man through whom the occasion cometh ! 

Matt. 4 : 1, 10, n. Then was Jesus led up of the Spirit into the 
wilderness to be tempted of the devil. . . . Get thee hence, Satan. 
. . . Then the devil leaveth him. 

3. Prov. 15 : 9. The way of the wicked is an abomination to 
Jehovah. 

Matt. 8 : 12. There shall be the weeping and the gnashing of 
teeth. 



AN ORIH'.RKD WORLD 43 

55. What has God done to check the progress of sin 
since it first entered the world t 

By means of the law God has taught man the awful- 
ness of sin and its fatal results. 1 He has ever been 
calling to repentance and peace those who have sinned. 2 
He has given his own dear Son to be the propitiation 
for our sins and to bring us to himself. 3 He has sent 
his Spirit into our hearts, renewing the corrupt nature 
and helping us recover his image. 4 

1. Rom. 3 : 20. Through the law cometh the knowledge of sin. 

2. Is. 1 : 18. Come now, and let us reason together, saith Jeho- 
vah : though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow ; 
though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool. 

3. 1 John 2 : 2. And he is the propitiation for our sins ; and not 
for ours only, but also for the whole world. 

4. Col. 3 : 10. And have put on the new man, that is being re- 
newed unto knowledge after the image of him that created him. 



56. As the result of man's disobedience and the per- 
petuation of his sin in the race, together with God's in- 
tervention to check its progress, <w1iat is the present state 
of mankind with respect to sin and righteousness ? 

The result is that there is " a flow of good and evil" 
in the stream of human life. The common stock of 
mankind has been very largely polluted with sin ; 1 
and yet man is not totally corrupt. There are ten- 
dencies fraught with the power of sin ; and there are 
tendencies that make for righteousness. These exist 
in varying degree, according to the inheritance and 
acquisition of the individual. 2 So that in the great 



44 A MANUAL FOR CHRISTIAN INSTRUCTION 

majority of cases people are practically under the 
dominion of sin, 3 while in some instances they from 
the first are in the power of inherited graces. 4 

i. Matt. 15 : 19. For out of the heart come forth evil thoughts, 
murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, railings. 

2. Ps. 51 : 5. Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity ; and in sin 
did my mother conceive me. 

3. Rom. 5 : 19. Through the one man's disobedience the many 
were made sinners. 

1 John 1 : 8. If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, 
and the truth is not in us. 

Rom. 7 : 18. For I know that in me, that is, in my flesh, dwelleth 
no good thing. 

4. John 1 : 47. Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom is no guile ! 

57. In consequence of the introduction of sin through 
marts free disobedience, what comes upon the race ? 

Human suffering and sorrow come upon the race 
as the result of man's disobedience ; and as sinful 
tendencies grow stronger, entailing disorders on man- 
kind, the suffering and sorrow increase. 

Rom. 5 : 12. Therefore, as through one man sin entered into the 
world, and death through sin. _.. 

Gen. 3 : 16-19. Unto the woman he said, I will greatly mul- 
tiply thy pain and thy conception; in pain thou shalt bring 
forth children ; and thy desire shall be to thy husband, and he shall 
rule over thee. And unto Adam he said, Because thou hast 
hearkened unto the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree, of 
which I commanded thee, saying, Thou shalt not eat of it: cursed 
is the ground for thy sake; in toil shalt thou eat of it all the days 
of thy life ; thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth to thee ; and 
thou shalt eat the herb of the .field ; in the sweat of thy face 
shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground. 

Job 5 : 7. But man is born unto trouble, as the sparks fly up- 
ward. 



AN ORDERED WORLD 45 

58. Ho people suffer because of the sins of their ances- 
tors, or is their suffering the res//// of /heir own sins 
alone ? 

They suffer because of their own sins, since of 
their own free will they bring retribution upon them- 
selves ; l and they suffer because of the sins of their 
ancestors, since they inherit from parents evil in- 
clinations and bodily and intellectual disorders. 2 

1. Gal. 6 : 8. For he that soweth unto his own flesh shall of the 
flesh reap corruption. 

Gen. 6 : 13. The earth is filled with violence through them ; and, 
behold, I will destroy them with the earth. 

John 5 : 14. Afterward Jesus findeth him in the temple, and said 
unto him, Behold, thou art made whole : sin no more, lest a worse 
thing befall thee. 

2. Ex. 34 : 7. Visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the chil- 
dren, and upon the children's children, upon the third and upon the 
fourth generation. 



59. Do people sometimes suffer ills and misfortunes 
caused by neither their sins nor the sins of their ances- 
tors? 

They do. 1 The fact that man is a member of 
human society entails much suffering. 2 The zeal of 
Christians for the progress of the kingdom makes 
suffering inevitable. 3 Then, too, God chastens his 
children that he may check sin and crime, and that, 
through suffering, they may be made perfect. 4 

1. John 9: 2, 3. Rabbi, who sinned, this man, or his parents, that 
he should be born blind? Jesus answered, Neither did this man 



46 A MANUAL FOR CHRISTIAN INSTRUCTION 

sin, nor his parents: but that the works of God should be made 
manifest in him. 

2. Luke 13 : 1-5. Now there were some present at that very 
season who told him of the Galilaeans, whose blood Pilate had 
mingled with their sacrifices. And he answered and said unto them, 
Think ye that these Galilaeans were sinners above all the Galilaeans, 
because they have suffered these things? I tell you, Nay. ... Or 
those eighteen, upon whom the tower in Siloam fell, and killed them, 
think ye that they were offenders above all the men that dwell in 
Jerusalem? I tell you, Nay. 

3. John 15: 20. If they persecuted me, they will also persecute 
you. 

John 21 : 18. When thou shalt be old, thou shalt stretch forth thy 
hands, and another shall gird thee, and carry thee whither thou 
wouldest not. 

4. Rev. 3 : 19. As many as I love, I reprove and chasten. 

Heb. 12 : 6. For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scour- 
geth every son whom he receiveth. 



60. Are man's constitution and environment in every 
instance productive of the same forms of suffering and 
hardship ? 

They are not. Every stratum of human society 
has sufferings to endure and struggles to wage peculiar 
to itself, just as real as the trials of the rest of man- 
kind, 1 and adapted to the moral progress of those 
who belong to that stratum. 2 Some one has written a 
beautiful allegory, in which all the people of the 
earth, dissatisfied each man with his lot, and imagin- 
ing that lot to be worse than that of the rest of mor- 
tals, meet together and exchange their afflictions, only 
soon to find themselves worse off than before, and 
anxious to get back their former ills. 



AX OKDKKKI) WORLD 47 

1. John 4 149. The nobleman saith unto him, Sir, eome clown 
ere my child die. 

Eccl. 5:12. The fulness of the rich will not suffer him to sleep. 

2. Rom. 8 : 28. We know that to them that love God all things 
work together for good. 

61. /;/ view of the foregoing considerations \ how are 

ice to interpret this world with its sin, evil, temptation, 
industry, struggle^ sorrow ana 7 suffering f 

This world is God's workhouse in which human 
souls, under the leadership of Jesus Christ, are, 
through conflict and mastery, fitted for service and 
happiness on earth and in heaven. 

2 Cor. 4: 17. For our light affliction, which is for the moment, 
worketh for us more and more exceedingly an eternal weight of 
glory. 

Rom. 5 : 3-5. Tribulation worketh stedfastness ; and stedfast- 
ness, approvedness ; and approvedness, hope : and hope putteth not 
to shame. 

2 Cor. 7 : 10. For godly sorrow worketh repentance unto salva- 
tion, a repentance which bringeth no regret. 

Heb. 12:11. All chastening seemeth for the present to be not 
joyous but grievous ; yet afterward it yieldeth peaceable fruit unto 
them that have been exercised thereby, even the fruit of righteousness. 

Rom. 5 : 20. Where sin abounded, grace did abound more ex- 
ceedingly. 

Acts 14 : 22. Through many tribulations we must enter into the 
kingdom of God. 

62. If conflict with sin and participation in suffering 
are at present necessary for mails progress in the spirit- 
ual life, is he to sin that good may come, or to deliber- 
ately add to his sufferings ? 

Man is not to sin that good may come, nor is he to 
invite unnecessary suffering, and for the reason that 



48 A MANUAL FOR CHRISTIAN INSTRUCTION 

the noble end and spirit of the conflict would then be 
absent, and therefore the gain in moral strength noth- 
ing. There are enough crosses for the most heroic of 
us to bear without mechanically inventing more. The 
laceration of their bodies, in the name of Christian self- 
sacrifice, by the early monks was anti-Christian. 

Rom. 6:1,2. Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound ? 
God forbid. 

Matt. 6 : 13. And bring us not into temptation, but deliver us 
from the evil one. 

Matt. 18 : 7. Woe unto the world because of occasions of stumb- 
ling ! for it must needs be that the occasions come ; but woe to that 
man through whom the occasion cometh ! 

63. If at present sin and suffering are factors in maris 
higher develop7nent, why is not the position of those tenable 
who do nothing to abolish sin aud suffering f 

Their position is untenable l because the thing that 
gives value to man's environment as a condition of 
spiritual growth is his heroic and persistent endeavor 
to abolish sin and suffering. The worth of the envi- 
ronment for purposes of character consists in man's 
struggle to overcome it. 2 

1. Rom. 6: 12,13. Letnot sin therefore reign in your mortal body, 
that ye should obey the lusts thereof: neither present your members 
unto sin as instruments of unrighteousness ; but present yourselves 
unto God, as alive from the dead, and your members as instruments 
of righteousness unto God. 

Col. 4 : 5. Walk in wisdom toward them that are without, re- 
deeming the time. 

2. Rev. 3 : 21. He that overcometh, I will give to him to sit down 
with me in my throne, as I also overcame, and sat down with my 
Father in his throne. 



AN ORDERED WORLD 49 

64. How, then, arc 71V to discriminate between neces- 
sary and unnecessary suffering t 

The unnecessary is that which one recklessly and 
foolishly brings upon himself. 1 The necessary is that 
which he encounters in the discharge of his plain 
duty to himself; to home, as in the rearing of children ; 
to his country, as when he gives his life in defence of 
her liberties ; to the kingdom, as when he suffers perse- 
cution that God's cause may be advanced. 2 

1. Matt. 24: 16. Then let them that are in Judaea flee unto the 
mountains. 

2. Matt. 16: 21. From that time began Jesus to show unto his dis- 
ciples, that he must go unto Jerusalem, and suffer many things of the 
elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and the third day 
be raised up. 

John 12 : 27. Now is my soul troubled ; and what shall I say? 
Father, save me from this hour. But for this cause came I unto this 
hour. 



65. Is it historically demonstrated that those people 
attain the highest spiritual development who are accus- 
tomed to deal with the problems of evil and refowi f 

It is. Never had the Christian Church more valiant 
sons than when, in her infancy, she was pitted against 
the power of pagan Rome. 1 The strength of the 
Western world to-day is due to the fact that her chil- 
dren have girded themselves and gone forth to con- 
quer the sin and misery of human society. 

1. Rev. 7 : 13, 14. And one of the elders answered, saying unto 
me, These that are arrayed in the white robes, who are they, and 
whence came they ? And I say unto him, My lord, thou knowest. 



50 A MANUAL FOR CHRISTIAN INSTRUCTION 

And he said to me, These are they that come out of the great tribula- 
tion, and they washed their robes, and made them white in the blood 
of the Lamb. 

66. How rapidly may we expect the coarser sins and 
evils of the world to disappear ? 

Being a projection of the inner life of the race, they 
will disappear in proportion as that inner life is made 
perfect through struggle with and mastery over them. 1 
The mere absence of evil is not the supreme end of 
true reforms. 2 If it were, God could easily prevent 
all crime and disorders by putting mankind under 
the influence of some powerful anaesthetic. The 
moral and spiritual progress of man is the end of life ; 
the abolition of evil is a necessary means to that end. 

i. Is. 60: 17, 18, 21. I will also make thy officers peace, and 
thine exactors righteousness. Violence shall no more be heard in 
thy land, desolation nor destruction within thy borders ; but thou 
shalt call thy walls Salvation, and thy gates Praise. . . . Thy people 
also shall be all righteous. 

2. Matt. 12 : 44, 45. Then he saith, I will return into my house 
whence I came out; and when he is come, he findeth it empty, 
swept, and garnished. Then goeth he* and taketh with himself seven 
other spirits more evil than himself, and they enter in and dwell 
there : and the last state of that man becometh worse than the first. 



67. What is meant by 7?iotives to right conduct? 

Motives to right conduct are those facts and truths 
which, by reason of their power to enhance the soul's 
value, 1 make the world bright with hope, 2 and right 
thinking and living desirable, 3 are able to call out the 



INFLUENCING motives 5 I 

nobler in man and enlist him in his divinely appointed 
work. 4 

1. John 11 : 25, 26. Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, 
and the lite: lie that believeth on me, though he die, yel shall he 
live; and whosoever liveth and believeth on me shall never die. 

2. 1 Cor. 15 : 58. Wherefore, my beloved brethren, be ye sted- 
fast, immoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, for as 
much as ye know that your labor is not vain in the Lord. 

3. Luke 13 : 3. Except ye repent, ye shall all in like manner 
perish. 

4. Rom. 2 : 4. The goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance. 



68. What are the motives that God causes to work 
upon man from without, persuading him to press on to 
the mark of the prize of his high calling? 

There are many motives that work to this end ; but 
the chief motives are God's law of degeneration and 
growth, including his warning of retribution ] and his 
promise of the perfected life; 2 the love of God as 
manifested in creation, providence and especially in 
Jesus Christ ; 3 and the inheritance in heaven which he 
gives to them that love and obey him. 4 

1. Matt. 10: 28. Fear him who is able to destroy both soul and 
body in hell. 

Matt. 12 : 36. And I say unto you, that every idle word that men 
shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment. 

2. Phil. 3 : 14. I press on toward the goal unto the prize of the 
high calling of God in Christ Jesus. 

3. Rom. 5 : 8. But God commendeth his own love toward us, in 
that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. 

4. Rom. 8 : 18. For I reckon that the sufferings of this present 
time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be 
revealed to us-ward. 



52 A MANUAL FOR CHRISTIAN INSTRUCTION 

69. What is the law of degeneration and growth ? 

The law of degeneration and growth is that in 
God's moral order rational beings are either moving 
downward to retribution, or they are moving upward 
to a larger happiness. 1 Every man is growing either 
better or worse. The neutral or stationary attitude 
toward the higher life is impossible. 2 

1. Matt. 12:30. He that is not with me is against me; and he 
that gathereth not with me scattereth. 

2. Matt. 6 : 24. No man can serve two masters : for either he 
will hate the one, and love the other ; or else he will hold to one, 
and despise the other. 



70. What are the considerations that make retribution 
for sin a necessary element in the plan of God? 

The facts that man is a citizen of a moral uni- 
verse ; - 1 that in order to be man he is endowed with 
free will ; 2 that in its exercise he deliberately sins 
and commits the most heinous crimes; 3 and that 
the moral integrity of God's world must by some 
means be assured, 4 necessitate retribution as a guar- 
anty against moral disorder and chaos. 5 Punishment 
•for sin in no sense is the fault of God. 6 

1. Ex. 20 : 2, 4. I am Jehovah thy God. . . . Thou shalt not. 

2. Josh. 24 : 15. Choose you this day whom ye will serve. 

3. Judges 19 : 30. And it was so, that all that saw it said, There 
was no such deed done nor seen from the day that the children of 
Israel came up out of the land of Egypt unto this day : consider 
it, take counsel, and speak. 

4. Ps. 9 : 19. Arise, O Jehovah ; let not man prevail. 



INFLUENCING MOTIVES 53 

5. Rom. 14 : 12. So then each one of us shall give account of 
himself to God. 

6. Kzek. 33:11. As I live, saith the Lord Jehovah, I have no 
pleasure in the death of the wicked. 

Matt. 18: 14. Even so it is not the will of your Father who is 
in heaven, that one of these little ones should perish. 

2 Let. 3:9. Not wishing that any should perish, but that all 
should come to repentance. 



71. What are the facts upon which God bases his 
warning of retribution ? 

Those facts are that sin hardens the nature of the 
sinner ; l that continuance in sin ultimately obliterates 
the moral sense and destroys the ability to truly re- 
pent, 2 and that this effects the sinner's alienation 
from God, with all the miseries incident to such 
alienation. 3 The loss of taste for poetry and music, 
which one of the world's greatest scientists confessed 
he had experienced by his lifelong grinding out of 
facts, is in numerous instances paralleled by a similar 
atrophy of the moral nature. 

1. 1 Tim. 4: 2. Men that speak lies, branded in their own con- 
science as with a hot iron. 

Titus 1 : 15. To them that are defiled and unbelieving nothing 
is pure ; but both their mind and their conscience are defiled. 

2. Rev. 22:11. He that is unrighteous, let him do unrighteous- 
ness still : and he that is filthy, let him be made filthy still. 

Rom. 6 : 23. The wages of sin is death. 

3. Jas. 1 : 15. Then the lust, when it hath conceived, beareth 
sin : and the sin, when it is fullgrown, bringeth forth death. 

Luke 16:26. And besides all this, between us and you there is 
a great gulf fixed, that they that would pass from hence to you may 
not be able, and that none may cross over from thence to us. 



54 A MANUAL FOR CHRISTIAN INSTRUCTION 

72. Does th-e fear of retribution become less promi- 
nent as a motive to Christian conduct in proportion as 
one advances toward perfection ? 

The fear of retribution is a rational motive to 
Christian conduct. l The prophets, apostles and Jesus 
Christ employed it to persuade men, 2 and even in 
the ordinary affairs of life people are influenced by it. 
Yet it loses its prominence as a motive in proportion 
as the anticipation of perfection, the love of God and 
the hope of eternal life take possession of the soul. 3 

1. 2 Pet. 3 : 11. Seeing that these things are thus all to be dis- 
solved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy living 
and godliness ? 

2. 2 Cor. 5 : 11. Knowing therefore the fear of the Lord, we per- 
suade men. 

Luke 12 : 5. Fear him, who after he hath killed hath power to 
cast into hell. 

Acts 2 : 43, 44. And fear came upon every soul : and many wonders 
and signs were done through the apostles. And all that believed were 
together, and had all things common. 

3. Rom. 8 : 1. There is therefore now no condemnation to them 
m that are in Christ Jesus. 

1 John 4 : 18. There is no fear in love : but perfect love casteth 
out fear, because fear hafh punishment ; and he that feareth is not 
made perfect in love. 



73. What are the facts upon which God bases his 
pi'omise of the perfected life to them that choose and 
follow the good? 

Those facts are, that in the case of him who perse- 
veres in the struggle for perfection, "acts of resistance 
in the power of the divine Spirit accumulate into 



[INFLUENCING MOTIVES 55 

habits " ; l that habits become fixed as character, 2 and 
that this character brings with it the liberty of the 
blessed, which is the ability to find attraction in that 
only which is of God. 3 

1. Rev. 22: 11. He that is righteous, let him do righteousness 
still : and he that is holy, let him be made holy still. 

2. Gal. 6 : 8. He that sovveth unto the Spirit shall of the Spirit 
reap eternal life. 

Prov. 4: 18. The path of the righteous is as the dawning light, 
that shineth more and more unto the perfect day. 

3. Rom. 6 : 22. But now being made free from sin and become 
servants to God, ye have your fruit unto sanctification, and the end 
eternal life. 

Matt. 25 : 23. Well done, good and faithful servant : thou hast 
been faithful over a few things, I will set thee over many things; 
enter thou into the joy of thy lord. 



74. How does the anticipation of perfection help man 
to live right and strive to attain his end? 

To know that, if he perseveres, he shall be freed 
from sin, and be brought into complete harmony with 
God, and be fashioned like Jesus, so that his capacity 
for appreciation, happiness and service shall be 
immeasurably increased, inspires man to choose the 
right and press on toward perfection. 

1 John 3 : 2, 3. We know that, if he shall be manifested, we shall 
be like him ; for we shall see him even as he is. And every one 
that hath this hope set on him purifieth himself, even as he is pure. 

Phil. 3 : 12. Not that I have already obtained, or am already 
made perfect : but I press on, if so be that I may lay hold on that 
for which also I was laid hold on by Christ Jesus. 



56 A MANUAL FOR CHRISTIAN INSTRUCTION 

75. In what ways has God manifested his love for 
man ? 

In many ways; l but chiefly and preeminently in 
sending his Son to take the form of man, to live the 
perfect life, to teach the truth, to suffer, die and be 
raised from the dead. 2 

1. Acts 14 : 17. And yet he left not himself without witness, in that 
he did good and gave you from heaven rains and fruitful seasons, 
filling your hearts with food and gladness. 

Hosea n : 3, 4. I taught Ephraim to walk; I took them on my 
arms ; but they knew not that I healed them. I drew them with 
cords of a man, with bands of love ; and I was to them as they that 
lift up the yoke on their jaws ; and I laid food before them. 

2. Phil. 2:6-8. Who, existing in the form of God, counted not 
the being on an equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied 
himself, taking the form of a servant, being made in the likeness of 
men ; and being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, 
becoming obedient even unto death, yea, the death of the cross. 

John 15 : 13. Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay 
down his life for his friends. 

76. What is it in the love of God that makes that 
love so assuring to man ? 

It is the fact that it is holy love. The absence of 
high character takes from human love its enduring 
quality. 1 Its presence in father, mother, husband, 
wife, tells us that the love in which we trust will not 
fail. So the holy character of God assures us that the 
divine love in which we trust can never fade. 2 

1. Judges 16 : 18, 19. And when Delilah saw that he had told her 
all his heart, she sent and called for the lords of the Philistines, say- 
ing, Come up this once, for he hath told me all his heart. Then the 
lords of the Philistines came up unto her, and brought the money 



INFLUENCING MOTIVES 57 

in their hand. And sin* made him sleep upon her knees ; and she 
called for a man, and shaved off the seven locks of his head; and 
she began to afflict him, and his strength went from him. 

2. 15.6:3. Holy, holy, holy, is Jehovah of hosts. 

Ps. 100:5. F° r Jehovah is good; his lovingkindness endureth 
for ever, and his faithfulness unto all generations. 

Ps. 145 : 17. Jehovah is righteous in all his ways. 

Deut. 32 : 4. A God of faithfulness and without iniquity, just and 
right is he. 

Rev. 15 : 3. Righteous and true are thy ways, thou King of the 
ages. 

77. If Christ had been man only, would his humilia- 
tion, sufferings and death have been so great a revelation 
of God's love f 

If Christ had been man only, then God would not 
have suffered on Calvary, except as in the death of a 
man sustaining the same relation to God as any other 
good man ; l and if God in the person of his Son had 
not suffered on Calvary, he would have been to us 
more distant and unfeeling. God in Christ suffering 
for man ennobles our conception of the Deity. 2 

1. 1 John 4 : 10. Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that 
he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. 

2. John 3 : 16. For God so loved the world, that he gave his only 
begotten Son, that whosoever believeth on him should not perish, 
but have eternal life. 

Rom. 5: 8. But God commendeth his own love toward us, in 
that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. 

78. What is the relation of Christ's sufferings and 
death to the holiness of God? 

The fact that Christ, the Son of God, suffered and 
died to atone for the sin of the world, shows us that, 



58 A MANUAL FOR CHRISTIAN INSTRUCTION 

though loving and merciful, God is yet just, has regard 
to his holiness, and, because he intends that his holy 
and loving purpose with reference to his children shall 
prevail, is not indulgent toward them. 

i John 2 : 2. And he is the propitiation for our sins ; and not for 
ours only, but also for the whole world. 

2 Cor. 5 : 19. God was in Christ reconciling the world unto him- 
self, not reckoning unto them their trespasses. 

1 Pet. 3 : 18. Because Christ also suffered for sins once, the 
righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God. 



79. /// what way does the revelation of God's Father- 
hood help 11s to be Christlike f 

The revelation of God's Fatherhood makes the world 
resplendent with hope and cheer. 1 The Father's 
love for his children illumines the sphere of our earthly 
labors and trials, enhances the value of noble living, 2 
and makes it more difficult for us to intentionally 
grieve him. 3 

1. Matt. 6 : 8. Your Father knoweth what things ye have need of, 
before ye ask him. 

Matt. 10:29, 31. Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? and 
not one of them shall fall on the ground without your Father. . . . 
Ye are of more value than many sparrows. 

2. 1 John 4 : 19. We love, because he first loved us. 

Luke 6 : 36. Be ye merciful, even as your Father is merciful. 

3. Luke 22 : 61, 62. And the Lord turned, and looked upon 
Peter. And Peter remembered the word of the Lord, how that he 
said unto him, Before the cock crow this day, thou shalt deny me 
thrice. And he went out, and wept bitterly. 



INFLUENCING MOTIVES 59 

So. How does the death of Christ move people to re- 
pent and turn to God for remission of sin t 

By the death of Christ (iod himself suffers humilia- 
tion in the person of his own dear Son. God, in his 
Son on Calvary, is a sympathizing, self-giving and for- 
giving God. It is this that appeals to the nobler in 
man and moves him to come to God. 

John 3 : 14, 15. And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilder- 
ness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up; that whosoever be- 
lieveth may in him have eternal life. 

John 12 : 32. And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw 
all men unto myself. 

81. Does the manifestation of God^s love in the aton- 
ing death of his Son affect the relatioii between man 
and man f 

The love of God revealed in the atoning death of 
his Son is the one common ground on which people 
who have had differences can meet and be reconciled. 1 
Man cannot atone to man. The atoning God recon- 
ciles man to man as well as man to God. 2 

1. 1 John 4:11. Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to 
love one another. 

Eph. 4 : 32. And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, for- 
giving each other, even as God also in Christ forgave you. 

2. Eph. 2 : 14. For he is our peace, who made both one, and brake 
down the middle wall of partition. 

82. What are the chief supports to our faith in the 
future world t 

The chief supports to our faith in the future world 
are the infinite power l and goodness 2 of God, the con- 



60 A MANUAL FOR CHRISTIAN INSTRUCTION 

stitution and experiences of humanity 3 and the resur- 
rection of Jesus Christ. 4 

i. i Chron. 29:12. In thy hand is power and might; and in 
thy hand it is to make great, and to give strength unto all. 
John 11 : 25. I am the resurrection, and the life. 

2. Ps. 89: 14. Righteousness and justice are the foundation of 
thy throne : lovingkindness and truth go before thy face. 

Ps. 34 : 8. Oh taste and see that Jehovah is good. 

3. Heb. 2 : 7. Thou madest him a little lower than the angels ; thou 
crownedst him with glory and honor. 

4. 1 Cor. 15 : 3-8. For I delivered unto you first of all that 
which also I received : that Christ died for our sins according to the 
scriptures ; and that he was buried ; and that he hath been raised 
on the third day according to the scriptures ; and that he appeared 
to Cephas ; then to the twelve ; then he appeared to above five hun- 
dred brethren at once, of whom the greater part remain until now, 
but some are fallen asleep ; then he appeared to James ; then to all 
the apostles; and last of all, as to the child untimely born, he ap- 
peared to me also. 

83. How are the infinite power and goodness of God 
a support to our fait Ji in the future world? 

The infinite power of God makes it possible for him 
to continue through eternity the conscious life he has 
given his children. 1 The holy character of God assures 
us that he has so ordered things as to make the accom- 
plishment of his purpose compatible with the rights of 
his obedient children to life and happiness. The mer- 
ciful and loving Father is no Oriental despot riding 
through fields of blood to universal empire. 2 

1. Is. 40 : 29. He giveth power to the faint ; and to him that hath 
no might he increaseth strength. 

John 10 : 29. And no one is able to snatch them out of the 
Father's hand. 



INFLUENCING MOTIVES 6l 

Matt. 22 : 29. Ye do err, not knowing the scriptures, nor the 
power of God. 

2. Gen. 18 : 25. That be far from thee to do after this manner, to 
slay the righteous with the wicked, that so the righteous should be as 
the wicked; that be far from thee: shall not the Judge of all the 
earth do right? 

84. How arc the constitution and experiences of man- 
kind a support to our fait Ji in t lie future world? 

From time immemorial there have been in the hu- 
man soul and coming from human lips the irrepressible 
prophecy of and longing for a life beyond. 1 Granted, 
then, that mankind is organized in truth, and not in 
error (and this assumption underlies all thinking), 
these prophesies and longings point to the fact of the 
future life. God has hardly made man after the simili- 
tude of a falsehood. 2 

1. Job 14 : 14. If a man die, shall he live again? 

1 Cor. 13 : 7. Believeth all things, hopeth all things. 

Job 19 : 25-27. I know that my Redeemer liveth, and at last 
he will stand up upon the earth : and after my skin, even this body, 
is destroyed, then without my flesh shall I see God ; whom I, even I, 
shall see, on my side, and mine eyes shall behold, and not as a stran- 
ger. 

2. John 14: 2. In my Father's house are many mansions; if it 
were not so, I would have told you. 

85. What is the faith of the Church in the resurrec- 
tion of Christ? 

The Church believes that the body of Christ that 
was nailed to the cross was the identical body that 
was taken down and placed in the tomb; 1 that this 



62 A MANUAL FOR CHRISTIAN INSTRUCTION 

body on the third day came forth by the mighty power 
of God ; 2 that thus raised, Jesus did appear to and 
talk with many, 3 and that after the space of forty days, 
the corruptible putting on incorruption, the mortal 
immortality, Jesus ascended up into heaven. 4 

i. John 19 : 40, 41. So they took the body of Jesus, and bound 
it in linen clothes with the spices, as the custom of the Jews is to 
bury. Now in the place where he was crucified there was a garden ; 
and in the garden a new tomb wherein was never man yet laid. 

2. Matt. 28 : 6. He is not here ; for he is risen, even as he said. 
Come, see the place where the Lord lay. 

3. Luke 24 : 36, 39, 40. And as they spake these things, he him- 
self stood in the midst of them, and saith unto them, Peace be unto 
you. . . . See my hands and my feet, that it is I myself: handle me, 
and see ; for a spirit hath not flesh and bones, as ye behold me 
having. And when he had said this, he showed them his hands 
and his feet. 

4. Acts 1 : 9. And when he had said these things, as they were 
looking, he was taken up ; and a cloud received him out of their 
sight. " 

86. What is the happiness of those who enter Para- 
dise f 

They who enter Paradise enjoy the near presence of 
God. 1 They meet Jesus. 2 They become citizens of 
a world of order that is free from sin and suffering. 3 
Their intellectual and spiritual experiences are im- 
measurably more exhilarating than those of the noblest 
of earth. 4 They have fellowship with the great and 
good of all ages. 5 

1. Rev. 7 : 9. After these things I saw, and behold, a great multi- 
tude, which no man could number, out of every nation and of all 
tribes and peoples and tongues, standing before the throne and 
before the Lamb, arrayed in white robes, and palms in their hands. 



INFLUENCING MOTIVES 63 

2. Rev. -22 : 4. And they shall see his face. 

John 14 : 3. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I come 
again, and will receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye 
may be also. 

3. Rer. 21:4. And he shall wipe away every tear from their 

eyes ; and death shall be no more ; neither shall there be mourn- 
ing, nor crying, nor pain, any more: the first things are passed 
away. 

4. 1 Cor. 13 : 12. For now we see in a mirror, darkly; but then 
face to face : now I know in part ; but then shall I know fully even 
as also I was fully known. 

1 Cor. 2 : 9. Things which eye saw not, and ear heard not, and 
which entered not into the heart of man, whatsoever things God 
prepared for them that love him. 

5. Matt. 8 : 11. And I say unto you, that many shall come from 
the east and the west, and shall sit down with Abraham, and Isaac, 
and Jacob, in the kingdom of heaven. 

8y. How does faith in the future world operate as a 
motive to Cliristly living? 

He who believes in the future world realizes that he 
is building a character that is to be his permanent 
possession. 1 The means and time expended are 
therefore commensurate with the end in view, just as 
a man in erecting a permanent residence bestows 
more time and money on the building than he does 
when erecting a residence that is to be but temporary. 
Men do not expend so much money on exposition 
structures as they do on the world's great cathedrals 
and capitols. 2 

1. Rev. 2: 10. Be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee 
the crown of life. 

2. 1 Cor. 15 : 19. If we have only hoped in Christ in this life, we 
are of all men most pitiable. 



64 A MANUAL FOR CHRISTIAN INSTRUCTION 

i Cor. 15 : 32. If after the manner of men I fought with beasts 
at Ephesus, what doth it profit me ? If the dead are not raised, let 
us eat and drink, for to-morrow we die. 

Heb. 12 : 2. Who for the joy that was set before him endured 
the cross, despising shame, and hath sat down at the right hand of 
the throne of God. 

2 Tim. 4 : 7, 8. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the 
course, I have kept the faith : henceforth there is laid up for me the 
crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall 
give to me at that day. 



88. Who is the Holy Spirit ? 

The Holy Spirit is God invisibly breathing upon 
the universe l and man, 2 and filling them with his per- 
sonal energy and life. 3 

1. Gen. 1 : 2. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of 
the waters. 

2. Judges 13 : 25. And the Spirit of Jehovah began to move him 
in Mahaneh-dan, between Zorah and Eshtaol. 

3. Acts 2 : 4. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit. 
Acts 17 125. He himself giveth to all life, and breath, and all 

things. 

89. How long has the Holy Spirit been in the world 
to help man f 

From the beginning of human life on this planet 
the Spirit of God has been man's helper. 1 In all ages 
he has walked with man and led him in right ways. 2 

1. Gen. 2 : 7. And Jehovah God formed man of the dust of the 
ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man 
became a living soul. 

2. Ps. 23 : 1-4. Jehovah is my shepherd ; I shall not want. He 
maketh me to lie down in green pastures ; he leadeth me beside 



THE HOLY SPIRIT 65 

still waters. He restoreth my soul : he guideth me in the paths of 
righteousness for his name's sake. Yea, though I walk through the 
valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; for thou art with 
me; thy rod and thy staff, they comfort me. 

Mark 12 136. David himself said in the Holy Spirit, The Lord 
said unto my Lord, sit thou on my right hand, till I make thine ene- 
mies the footstool of thv feet. 



90. J f7/d/ was the character of the teachings which, 
before Christ came, the Holy Spirit had been teaching 
man ? 

Though those teachings necessarily were adapted 
to the immature character of the human family, yet in 
their essence they were the principles, facts, elements 
of, and motives to, sonship. 1 They were manifesta- 
tions, in precept and holy example, of those great laws 
of life that had eternally resided in the Son, — love, 
faith, obedience, prayer, purity, truth, mercy and 
justice. 2 

1. Deut. 6:5. Thou shalt love Jehovah thy God with all thy 
heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might. 

Ps. 1 : i, 2. Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of 
the wicked, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat 
of scoffers : but his delight is in the law of Jehovah ; and on his law- 
doth he meditate day and night. 

2. John 5 : 46. For if ye believed Moses, ye would believe me ; for 
he wrote of me. 



9 1 . What was the work of the Holy Spirit in connec- 
tion with the advent of the Son of God to the world? 

The Holy Spirit introduced the divine Sonship into 
humanity. 1 The principles, facts and elements of 



66 A MANUAL FOR CHRISTIAN INSTRUCTION 

Sonship which from eternity had found their home in 
God's Son, and which from the creation of man had 
been inculcated by the Spirit of God, now became 
incarnate in a human Life. That Life was perfect 
through the indwelling Sonship. 2 

i. Luke 1:35. The Holy Spirit shall come upon thee, and the 
power of the Most High shall overshadow thee : wherefore also the 
holy thing which is begotten shall be called the Son of God. 

2. Col. 1 : 19. For it was the good pleasure of the Father that 
in him should all the fulness dwell. 

Col. 2 : 9. For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead 
bodily. 

92. Why was it necessary that the Son of God should 
come into the world in an exceptiofial manner ? 

The fact that Christ was God's eternal Son and had 
preexisted x made it improbable that he should make 
his advent in the ordinary way. Jesus Christ, an ex- 
traordinary person, coming into the world to do an 
extraordinary work, made his entrance in an extra- 
ordinary manner. 2 The facts of science prove the 
dogma of the incarnation to be not incredible. 

' 1. John 17 : 5. And now, Father, glorify thou me with thine own 
self with the glory which I had with thee before the world was. 

John 1:1. In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was 
with God, and the Word was God. 

2. Is. 7 : 14. Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and 
shall call his name Immanuel. 

93. What is the relation of the Holy Spirit's work to 
that of Christ ? 

Though from earliest time the Holy Spirit had been 
helping and leading man, yet his signal outpouring of 



THE HOLY SPIRIT 6? 

necessity came later. 1 The historic, objective, love- 
manifesting facts of Christ's life, sufferings, teachings, 
death, resurrection and ascension had to precede the 
filling of man with the Spirit of God. 9 

1. Joel 2:28. And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will 
pour out my Spirit upon all flesh ; and your sons and your daughters 
shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men 
shall see visions. 

2. John 16:7. It is expedient for you that I go away; for if I 
go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you ; but if I go, I 
will send him unto you. 

94. What is the mission of the Holy Spirit in the 
world to-day ? 

The mission of the Holy Spirit to-day, as at the in- 
carnation of the Son of God, is to introduce sonship 
into humanity. 1 Coming to man " out of the uplifted 
and glorified Manhood of Christ," the Holy Spirit 
brings into him the life of the incarnate Son, together 
with the elemental principles and forces of sonship, 
such as obedience, gentleness, faith and love. 2 

1. 1 John 3: 1. Behold what manner of love the Father hath 
bestowed upon us, that we should be called children of God ; and 
such we are. 

Gal. 3 : 26. For ye are all sons of God, through faith, in Christ 
Jesus. 

2. John 16 : 14. He shall take of mine, and shall declare it unto 
you. 

95. How does the Holy Spirit accomplish the work of 
regeneration ? 

The Holy Spirit accomplishes the work of regen- 
eration by convincing us of sin, 1 by enlightening our 



68 A MANUAL FOR CHRISTIAN INSTRUCTION 

minds in the knowledge of Christ, 2 by renewing our 
wills, 3 and by persuading and enabling us to embrace 
Jesus Christ freely offered to us in the Gospel. 4 

i. John 16 : 8. And he, when he is come, will convict the world 
in respect of sin. 

2. John 16 : 14. He shall take of mine, and shall declare it unto 
you. 

3. Ezek. 36 : 27. I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you 
to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep mine ordinances, and do 
them. 

4. John 6 : 44. No man can come to me, except the Father 
that sent me draw him. 

Acts 16 : 14. And a certain woman named Lydia, a seller of 
purple, of the city of Thyatira, one that worshipped God, heard us : 
whose heart the Lord opened to give heed unto the things which 
were spoken by Paul. 



96. How does the Holy Spirit after conversion 
the disciple to grow and press on to perfection ? 

The Holy Spirit after conversion continues to 
breathe upon and into man the finer influences of the 
kingdom, x assisting him when tempted, 2 making his 
faith vital, 3 reanimating the words of the Scriptures 
as he reads them, 4 communicating to him the divine 
life and truth from Christ, 5 directing him in right ways 6 
and filling his soul with peace and joy. 7 

1. Matt. 17 : 4. It is good for us to be here. 

John 3 : 8. The wind bloweth where it will, and thou nearest the 
voice thereof, but knowest not whence it cometh, and whither it 
goeth : so is every one that is born of the Spirit. 

2. Ps. 91 : 3. He will deliver thee from the snare of the fowler. 

3. Acts 6:5. A man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit. 



THE HOLY SPIRIT 69 

4. Ezek. 37 : 8, 10. And, lo, there were sinews upon them, and 
flesh came up, and skin covered them above. . . . And the breath 
came into them, and they lived. 

5. John 6: 58. He thai eatetli this bread shall live forever. 

6. Ps. 32 : 8. I will counsel thee with mine eye upon thee. 
Mark 13 : n. It is not ye that speak, but the Holy Spirit. 

7. Ps. 16 : 11. In thy presence is fulness of joy. 

Rom. 14 : 17. Righteousness and peaee and joy in the Holy 
Spirit. 

Luke 2 : 27. And he came in the Spirit into the temple. 



97. What is the doctrinal proof of the believer's son- 
ship that has been introduced by the Holy Spirit t 

He into whose life the Holy Spirit has introduced 
and is now perfecting sonship thi?iks right thoughts 
about God and man. He believes in Jesus as the 
Son of God and the Saviour of men. His intellectual 
standard is that of the gospel. 

1 John 4 : 2, 3. Hereby know ye the Spirit of God : every spirit 
that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God : and 
every spirit that confesseth not Jesus is not of God. 

1 Cor. 12:3. Wherefore I make known unto you, that no man 
speaking in the Spirit of God saith, Jesus is anathema; and no 
man can say, Jesus is Lord, but in the Holy Spirit. 



98. Does the Holy Spirit ever speak a message that is 
contra?y to the teachings of Christ? 

He does not. The Holy Spirit speaking to man 
fulfils and never contradicts what Jesus said. 1 The 
teachings of the Epistles and of all true teachers in the 
Church since they were written are an elaboration and 



JO A MANUAL FOR CHRISTIAN INSTRUCTION 

application of the great central truths of the gospel 
of the Son of God. 2 

i. John 15 : 26. But when the Comforter is come, whom I will 
send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, which pro- 
ceedeth from the Father, he shall bear witness of me. 

2. John 16 : 13, 14. Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, 
he shall guide you into all the truth: for he shall not speak from 
himself; but what things soever he shall hear, these shall he speak : 
and he shall declare unto you the things that are to come. He shall 
glorify me : for he shall take of mine, and shall declare it unto you. 



99. Are the presence and efficacious working of the 
Holy Spirit in a church a guaranty of the essential 
gospel character of the teachings of that church f 

The Holy Spirit comes to glorify Christ. His theme 
is Christ. Therefore, whatever be the polity of a 
church or its form of worship, if the outpouring of 
the Holy Spirit attends the preaching and labors of 
its people, the message proclaimed must be essentially 
in harmony with the gospel. 

Acts 11 : 15. And as I began to speak, the Holy Spirit fell on 
them, even as on us at the beginning. 

Acts 15 : 8, 9. And God, who knoweth the heart, bear them wit- 
ness, giving them the Holy Spirit, even as he did unto us ; and he 
made no distinction between us and them, cleansing their hearts by 
faith. 

100. What is the practical proof of the believer's 
sonship introduced by the Holy Spirit ? 

He into whose life the Holy Spirit has introduced 
Christian sonship bears those fruits l or virtues which 



TI1K HOLY SPIRIT 71 

were characteristic of the life and character of 
Jesus;- such as love, joy, meekness, temperance, 
kindness, longsuffering, gentleness, mercy, peace, 
faith, hope, purity, honesty, courage and veracity. 3 

1. John 15 : 8. Heroin is my Father glorified, that ye bear much 
fruit. 

2. John 16 : 15. He taketh of mine, and shall declare it unto 
you. 

3. Gal. 5:22, 23. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, 
longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, meekness, self- 
control. 

Eph. 5 : 9. The fruit of the light is in all goodness and righteous- 
ness and truth. 

Acts 13 : 9, 10. But Saul, who is also called Paul, filled with the 
Holy Spirit, fastened his eyes on him, and said, O full of all guile 
and all villany, thou son of the devil, thou enemy of all righteous- 
ness, wilt thou not cease to pervert the right ways of the Lord ? 



I o I . How are these qualities and fruits of sonship 
organized by the Holy Spirit into the structure and life 
of human society f 

The Holy Spirit, while introducing the elements 
and virtues of sonship into the souls that make up 
human society, guides those soul units in the organic 
relations of home, state, church, philanthropy and 
missions. He thus reconstructs humanity, internally 
and externally, on the lines of sonship. 

Rev. 1 : 10. I was in the Spirit on the Lord's day. 

Rev. 2:11. He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit 
saith to the churches. 

Acts 16 : 7. And when they were come over against Mysia, they 
assayed to go into Bithynia; and the Spirit of Jesus suffered them 
not. 



J2 A MANUAL FOR CHRISTIAN INSTRUCTION 

1 02. What facts or ?naterial does the Holy Spirit em- 
ploy to make effective his pleading with men ? 

The Holy Spirit employs a great many facts and 
truths, — the beauty of the world, the sorrows and 
calamities of life, the retribution that inevitably fol- 
lows sin unrepented of, and the promise of eternal 
life to them that obey God ; but the central facts that 
he employs are God's Fatherhood l and his love re- 
vealed in the life, teachings, sufferings, death, resurrec- 
tion and ascension of our Lord. 2 

1. Gal. 4 : 6. God sent forth the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, 
crying, Abba, Father. 

2. John 16:8-11. And he, when he is come, will convict the 
world in respect of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment : 
of sin, because they believe not on me : of righteousness, because I 
go to the Father, and ye behold me no more; of judgment, be- 
cause the prince of this world hath been judged. 

Acts 10 : 44. While Peter yet spake these words, the Holy Spirit 
fell on all them that heard the word. 

103. Does the Holy Spirit respect the distinctive indi- 
viduality of each soul ? 

He does. As the sun sends forth his light and 
warmth upon the vegetable and animal world, and yet 
allows each individual species to preserve its own 
identity, 1 so the Holy Spirit works in and through 
infinite variety, causing all to praise God by their 
diversity of gift, taste, personality and method, thus 
adding to the glory of his Church. 2 

1. Gen. 1 : 11, 24. And God said, Let the earth put forth grass, 
herbs yielding seed, and fruit-trees bearing fruit after their kind. . . . 



INSTITUTIONS Jl 

Let the earth bring forth living creatures after their kind, cattle, 
and creeping tilings, and boasts of the earth after their kind : and it 
was SO, 

2. i Cor. 12 : 4. Now there are diversities of gifts, but the same 
Spirit. 

104. What is tJic scope of the Holy Spirifs work in 
man ? 

The Holy Spirit's work in man is not confined to 
Pentecostal occasions. He at all times works in and 
through responsive souls in all stations : artisans, 1 
business men, 2 fathers and mothers, soldiers, 3 men of 
science, 4 philanthropists, preachers, poets and states- 
men. 5 

1. Ex. 31 : 3-5. I have filled him with the Spirit of God, in 
wisdom, and in understanding, and in knowledge, and in all manner 
of workmanship, to devise skilful works, to work in gold, and in 
silver, and in brass, and in cutting of stones for setting, and in carv- 
ing of wood, to work in all manner of workmanship. 

2. Ps. 107 : 23, 24. They that go down to the sea in ships, that 
do business in great waters ; these see the works of Jehovah. 

3. Deut. 1 : 42. And Jehovah said unto me, Say unto them, Go 
not up, neither fight ; for I am not among you. 

4. 1 Kings 4 : 33. And he spake of trees, from the cedar that is 
in Lebanon even unto the hyssop that springeth out of the wall : 
he spake also of beasts, and of birds, and of creeping things, and 
of fishes. 

5. 2 Chron. 36 : 22. Jehovah stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of 
Persia, so that he made a proclamation throughout all his kingdom. 

105. What are the chief institutions of human so- 
ciety ? 

The chief institutions of human society are the 
family, 1 the State 2 and the Church. 3 



74 A MANUAL FOR CHRISTIAN INSTRUCTION 

i. Ps. 68 : 6. God setteth the solitary in families. 

2. Num. 14 : 12. And will make of thee a nation greater and 
mightier than they. 

3. Matt. 16 : 18. And upon this rock I will build my church. 



106. Are these institutions an end in t Item selves or 
are they a means only that enable man under God^s 
guidance to fulfil his mission f 

They are a means only. 1 They have no other jus- 
tification for their existence. 2 But because they are 
an indispensable means to an end so high, they are 
worthy of all the love and sacrifice that we can bestow 
upon them. 3 

1. Mark 2 : 27. The sabbath was made for man, and not man 
for the sabbath. 

2. Eph. 5 : 24. The church is subject to Christ. 

3. Acts 20 : 28. Take heed unto yourselves, and to all the flock, 
in which the Holy Spirit hath made you bishops, to feed the church 
of the Lord which he purchased with his own blood. 



107. What rule has God given for the right orderi?ig 
of family life ? 

God has taught that man and woman, 1 united by a 
lawful marriage, inspired by true love, 2 and children 
who may be born to them, shall constitute the family. 3 

1. Gen. 2 : 18. And Jehovah God said, It is not good that the 
man should be alone ; I will make him a help meet for him. 

2. Ruth 4 : 13. So Boaz took Ruth, and she became his wife. 
Gen. 29 : 20. And Jacob served seven years for Rachel ; and 

they seemed unto him but a few days, for the love he' had to her. 



INSTITUTIONS 75 

3. Matt. 19 : 4, 5. I [e who made them from the beginning made 

them male and female, and said, For this cause shall a man leave 
his father and mother, and shall eleave to his wife ; and the two 
shall become one flesh. 

108. For what cause dors the law of Christ permit 
divorce f 

The law of Christ permits divorce for adultery only. 1 
The interests of human society and the destiny of 
their own souls require that in other instances man 
and wife make the best of their lot and call to their 
help those higher resources and joys upon which all 
mankind ultimately are thrown. 2 This attitude toward 
marriage and divorce stimulates foresight and wisdom 
on the part of those contemplating marriage. Easy 
divorce rests upon the false assumption that pleasure 
is man's chief end. 3 

1. Matt. 5 : 31, 32. It was said also, whosoever shall put away his 
wife, let him give her a writing of divorcement : but I say unto you, 
that every one that putteth away his wife, saving for the cause of for- 
nication, maketh her an adulteress. 

2. Col. 3:1. If then ye were raised together with Christ, seek 
the things that are above, where Christ is, seated on the right hand 
of God. 

3. Matt. 7 : 13, 14. Enter ye in by the narrow gate : for wide is 
the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many 
are they that enter in thereby. For narrow is the gate, and strait- 
ened the way, that leadeth unto life, and few are they that find it. 

109. What do parents and- children mutually owe 
each other? 

Parents owe their children love and kindness, the 
dedication of them to God, Christian training and pro- 



y6 A MANUAL FOR CHRISTIAN INSTRUCTION 

vision for their wants while young. 1 Children owe 
their parents love, respect, honor, obedience and 
special care for their wants when they get old and 
feeble. 2 

i. Is. 66 : 13. As one whom his mother comforteth. 

1 Sam. 1 : 11. I will give him unto Jehovah all the days of his 
life. 

1 Cor. 1 : 16. I baptized also the household of Stephanas. 

Mark 10 : 14. Suffer the little children to come unto me ; forbid 
them not : for to such belongeth the kingdom of God. 

Eph. 6 : 4. And, ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath : 
but nurture them in the chastening and admonition of the Lord. 

Prov. 22 : 6. Train up a child in the way he should go, and even 
when he is old he will not depart from it. 

Deut. 6 : 6, 7. And these words, which I command thee this day, 
shall be upon thy heart ; and thou shalt teach them diligently unto 
thy children. 

2. Prov. 4 : 3. For I was a son unto my father, tender and only 
beloved in the sight of my mother. 

Eph. 6 : 1. Children, obey your parents in the Lord : for this is 
right. 

Mai. 1:6. A son honoreth his father. 

Prov. 13 : 1. A wise son heareth his father's instruction. 

Luke 2 : 51. And he went down with them, and came to Naza- 
reth ; and he was subject unto them. 

no. How is the institution of the fa7?iily a help to 
man in his endeavor after perfection ? 

The institution of the family is the nursery of the 
child life of man. 1 It helps people in their early days 
to learn to live together orderly under the strong 
bond and inspiration of love. It is the means of 
nurturing some of the finer elements of Christian 
manhood and womanhood, 2 and serves as a welcome 



INSTITUTIONS JJ 

refuge to which each member can turn after the toils 
and battles of the day. 3 

i. 2 Tim. i : 5. The unfeigned faith that is in thee; which dwelt 
first in thy grandmother Lois, and thy mother Eunice; and, I am 
persuaded, in thee also. 

2. 2 Tim. 3 : 15. From a babe thou hast known the sacred 
writings which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through 
faith which is in Christ Jesus. 

3. John 20 : 10. So the disciples went away again unto their own 
home. 

in. What is the State? 

The State is the body of the people living together 
under a political government, 1 with rulers over 
them, 2 with laws for the regulation of their conduct 
and the promotion of the general welfare, 3 and with 
organized machinery for the execution of the laws 
and the people's defence against enemies at home 
and abroad. 4 

1. 2 Kings 23 13. And the king stood by the pillar, and made a 
covenant before Jehovah, to walk after Jehovah, and 'to keep his 
commandments, and his testimonies, and his statutes, with all his 
heart, and all his soul, to confirm the words of this covenant that 
were written in this book. 

2. Rom. 13 -.4. He is a minister of God to thee for good. 

Ex. 18 : 25. And Moses chose able men out of all Israel, and 
made them heads over the people, rulers of thousands, rulers of 
hundreds, rulers of fifties, and rulers of tens. 

3. Ex. 21 : 1. Now these are the ordinances which thou shalt set 
before them. 

4. 1 Kings 4 : 25. And Judah and Israel dwelt safely, every man 
under his vine and under his fig-tree, from Dan even to Beer-sheba, 
all the days of Solomon. 

Judges 17:6. In those days there was no king in Israel: every 
man did that which was right in his own eyes. 



78 A MANUAL FOR CHRISTIAN INSTRUCTION 

112. Has God directed the establishment of any one 
f 07in of political government for mankind? 

God originally established a theocracy for the 
Israelites. 1 But because of the hardness of their 
hearts, he at length suffered them to supplant the 
theocracy by a monarchy. 2 Any form of government 
is acceptable to God, provided it is dominated by the 
essential principles of theocracy. 

i. Acts 13 : 20. And after these things he gave them judges 
until Samuel the prophet. 

2. 1 Sam. 8:7. And Jehovah said unto Samuel, Hearken unto 
the voice of the people in all that they say unto thee ; for they have 
not rejected thee, but they have rejected me, that I should not be 
king over them. 

1 Sam. 12: 1. And Samuel said unto all Israel, Behold, I have 
hearkened unto your voice in all that ye said unto me, and have 
made a king over you. 



113. /// what ways is the State a help to man in his 
endeavor to attain his end ? 

The State helps man attain his end by securing for 
him public order and security, 1 by stimulating respect 
for law, 2 by multiplying the opportunities of life and 
improving the material environment of the people, 3 
and, through the example of its public men and the 
humanity, self-respect and vigor of its home and 
foreign policy, inculcating manly virtues. 4 

1. Rom. 13 : 3. Rulers are not a terror to the good work, but to 
the evil. 

1 Kings 4 : 24. For he had dominion over all the region on this 
side the River, from Tiphsah even to Gaza, over all the kings on 



INSTITUTIONS 79 

this side the River: and he had peace on all sides round about 
him. 

2. Acts 24 : 2, 3. Seeing that by thee we enjoy much peace, and 
that by thy providence evils are corrected for this nation, we accept 
it in all ways and in all places, most excellent Felix, with all thankful- 
ness. 

3. 2 Kings 20 : 20. And how he made the pool, and the conduit, 
and brought water into the city. 

Eccl. 2:5. I made me gardens and parks, and I planted trees in 
them of all kinds of fruit. 

4. Rom. 13 : 6. They are ministers of God's service, attending 
continually upon this very thing. 

Prov. 29 : 12. If a ruler hearkeneth to falsehood, all his servants 
are wicked. 



114. Is the civil and military power of the State 
alone adequate to prevent crime and maintain good 
order f 

This alone is not adequate. The relative freedom 
of the State from crime and disorder, as well as from 
petty annoyances not recognizable by the law, is very 
largely determined by the presence of those moral 
and spiritual forces that tend to make the atmosphere 
less criminally productive. 1 Some sections of the 
country are very prolific of crime because the moral 
atmosphere has little restraining power. 2 

1. Luke 1:65. And fear came on all that dwelt round about 
them. 

Is. n :q. They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy moun- 
tain ; for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of Jehovah, as the 
waters cover the sea. 

2. Gen. 19 : 9. And they pressed sore upon the man, even Lot, 
and drew near to break the door. 



80 A MANUAL FOR CHRISTIAN INSTRUCTION 

115. In addition to the home, what other institution 
very largely contributes to create, purify and conserve the 
moral atmosphere of the State f 

The Church, with her institutions, her inculcation 
of moral and spiritual truth, her emphasis on the higher 
nature of man, her stated calls to worship and her 
ministrations of love and mercy, is a powerful means 
to this end. Witness the rapid moral improvement of 
hundreds of towns in a new country on the incoming of 
the Church with the gospel. 

1 Cor. 5:9. I wrote unto you in my epistle to have no company 
with fornicators. 

Luke 7 : 16. And fear took hold on all : and they glorified God, 
saying, A great prophet is arisen among us. 

Acts 19 : 19. And not a few of them that practised magical 
arts brought their books together and burned them in the sight of 
all. 

1 1 6. What is the Church ? 

The Church is the external agency, 1 established by 
Christ 2 and constituted of professed believers and 
their children, 3 which he employs to advance his 
kingdom through the spiritual conquest of the world, 4 
the ministry to God's children, 5 the reception, pro- 
clamation and conserving of the truth. 6 The Church 
is the servant of the kingdom. 

1. Matt. 18 : 17. And if he refuse to hear them, tell it unto the 
church. 

Acts 1 : 26. And they gave lots for them ; and the lot fell upon 
Matthias. 

Acts 15 : 22. Then it seemed good to the apostles and the elders, 



INSTITUTIONS 8 1 

with the whole church, to choose men out of their company, and 
send them to Antioch with Paul and Barnabas. 

2. Matt. ij5 : 18. And upon this rock I will build my church. 

3. Acts 2 : 47. And the Lord added to them day by day those 
that were saved. 

Matt. 19 : 13. Then were there brought unto him little children. 
Acts 16 : 15. And when she was baptized, and her household. 

4. Matt. 28 : 19. Go ye therefore, and make disciples of all the 
nations. 

5. Acts 6: 3. Look ye out therefore, brethren, from among you 
seven men of good report, full of the Spirit and of wisdom, whom 
we may appoint over this business. 

6. John 16 : 13. He shall guide you into all the truth. 

Matt. 10:7. And as ye go, preach, saying, The kingdom of 
heaven is at hand. 

1 Thess. 5 : 21. Prove all things ; hold fast that which is good. 



117. What is the ki?igdom ? 

The kingdom is the " world-wide and imperishable 
spiritual l society " that Jesus founded. 2 Its Ruler 
is God in Christ. 3 Its citizens are regenerate souls. 4 
Its laws for the regulation of the life of its citizens 
are the teachings of Jesus, especially those in the Ser- 
mon on the Mount. 5 The Church Universal and In- 
visible 6 is identical with the kingdom, but the Church 
as an outward organization is the agency for the ad- 
vancement of the kingdom. 

1. Luke 17 :20, 21. The kingdom of God cometh not with obser- 
vation : neither shall they say, Lo, here ! or, There ! for lo, the king- 
dom of God is within you. 

2. Dan. 2 : 44. And in the days of those kings shall the God of 
heaven set up a kingdom which shall never be destroyed. 

Matt. 10 : 7. The kingdom of heaven is at hand. 

3. John 18 : 27. Thou sayest that I am a king. 



82 A MANUAL FOR CHRISTIAN INSTRUCTION 

4. John 3 : 5. Except one be born of water and the Spirit, he can- 
not enter into the kingdom of God. 

5. Malt. 5 : i,2. His disciples came unto him : and he opened 
his mouth and taught them. 

6. Col. 1 : 18. And he is the head of the body, the church. 

118. What are the sacraments of the Church f 

The sacraments of the Church — baptism l and the 
Lord's Supper 2 — are those holy ordinances instituted 
by Christ, wherein, by sensible signs, Christ and the 
benefits of the new covenant are represented, sealed 
and applied to believers. 

1. Acts 2 : 38. Repent ye, and be baptized every one of you in the 
name of Jesus Christ unto the remission of your sins. 

Acts 22 : 16. And now why tarriest thou? arise, and be bap- 
tized, and wash away thy sins, calling on his name. 

2. Matt. 26 : 26-28. And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and 
blessed, and brake it ; and he gave to the disciples, and said, Take, 
eat; this is my body. And he took a cup, and gave thanks, and 
gave to them, saying, Drink ye all of it ; for this is my blood of the 
covenant, which is poured out for many unto remission of sins. 

119. What is baptis?n ? 

Baptism is the application of water to the professed 
followers of Christ and their children, with the use of 
the Scriptural formula, " into the name of the Father 
and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit," or its equiva- 
lent; and is a symbol of spiritual cleansing, union 
with Christ and impartation of the Holy Spirit, as well 
as a recognition of God's ownership. 

Matt. 28 : 19. Baptizing them into the name of the Father and of 
the Son and of the Holy Spirit. 



INSTITUTIONS 83 

Matt. 3:11. I indeed baptize you in water unto repentance: 
but lie that cometh aft it me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not 
worthy to bear : lie shall baptize you in the Holy Spirit and in fire. 

120. What is the Lord's Supper? 

The Lord's Supper is the sacrament that Christ 
instituted to take the place of the passover, and was 
by him designed to commemorate his death, 1 and to 
be a perpetual symbol to convey God's grace to the 
believer. 2 

1. 1 Cor. 11: 23-26. The Lord Jesus, in the night in which 
he was betrayed took bread ; and when he had given thanks, he 
brake it, and said, This is my body, which is for you: this do in 
remembrance of me. In like manner also the cup, after supper, 
saying, This cup is the new covenant in my blood : this do, as often 
as ye drink it, in remembrance of me. For as often as ye eat this 
bread, and drink the cup, ye proclaim the Lord's death till he come. 

2. 1 Cor. 10: 16. The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not a 
communion of the blood of Christ? The bread which we break, is 
it not a communion of the body of Christ? 

121. What is the Lord's Day f 

The Lord's Day is the first day of the week, 1 taking 
the place of the Jewish Sabbath; and is set apart 
by God in order that on that day man may rest from 
all unnecessary physical labor, 2 worship God, 3 and 
relieve those who may need help. 4 

1. Acts 20 : 7. And upon the first day of the week, when we were 
gathered together to break bread, Paul discoursed with them. 

2. Lev. 23 : 3. Six days shall work be done : but on the seventh 
day is a sabbath of solemn rest. 

3. Rev. 1 : 10. I was in the Spirit on the Lord's day. 



84 A MANUAL FOR CHRISTIAN INSTRUCTION 

4. Matt. 12 : 9-12. And he departed thence, and went into their 
synagogue : and behold, a man having a withered hand. And they 
asked him, saying, Is it lawful to heal on the sabbath day? that 
they might accuse him. And he said unto them, What man shall 
there be of you, that shall have one sheep, and if this fall into a pit 
on the sabbath day, will he not lay hold on it, and lift it out? How 
much then is a man of more value than a sheep ! 



122. Into what brandies is the Church divided? 

The Church is divided into various sects or de- 
nominations, 1 many of which were necessitated in 
order that all the revealed truth might receive proper 
emphasis, and corruption and persecution be pre- 
vented, 2 but no one branch of which was established 
with its present form of government either by Christ 
or his apostles, or is alone entitled to be called the 
Church. 3 

1. 1 Cor. 12 : 5. And there are diversities of administrations, and 
the same Lord. 

2. Gal. 5:1. For freedom did Christ set us free: stand fast 
therefore, and be not entangled again in a yoke of bondage. 

3. Mark 9:38-40. John said unto him, Teacher, we saw one 
casting out demons in thy name; and we forbade him, because he 
followed not us. But Jesus said, Forbid him not: for there is no 
man who shall do a mighty work in my name, and be able quickly 
to speak evil of me. For he that is not against us is for us. 

123. What do the different branches of the Church of 
Christ owe to themselves ? 

They owe to themselves responsiveness to the new 
demands that God from time to time makes upon* 
them ; l loyalty to their own interests and work, 2 



INSTITUTIONS 85 

and, lest this loyalty degenerate into ecclesiastical 
provincialism,** a sympathetic appreciation of the 
work of the Church Universal in all ages. 

1. Ex. 14 : 15. Speak unto the children of Israel, that they go 
forward. 

2. Eccl. 9 : 10. Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with 
thy might. 

3. Matt. 3 : 9. And think not to say within yourselves, We have 
Abraham to our father : for I say unto you, that God is able of these 
stones to raise up children unto Abraham. 



124. What do the branches of the Church of Christ owe 
to one another t 

They owe to one another the concession of the 
right to exist, 1 the strict application of the Golden 
Rule, 2 the recognition of Christian fellowship, 3 co- 
operation for Christian work 4 and, so far as is feas- 
ible and wise, earnest effort to further the organic 
union of Christians. 5 

1. Mark 9 : 40. He that is not against us is for us. 

2. Ex. 20 : 15. Thou shalt not steal. 

Ex. 20 : 17. Thou shalt not covet . . . anything that is thy 
neighbor's. 

Luke 6 : 31. And as ye would that men should do to you, do ye 
also to them likewise. 

3. Matt. 23 : 8. One is your teacher, and all ye are brethren. 
Acts 15 : 9. He made no distinction between us and them, cleans- 
ing their hearts by faith. 

4. Phil. 1 : 27. That ye stand fast in one spirit, with one soul 
striving for the faith of the gospel. 

5. John 17 : 21. That they may all be one. 

1 John 1:7. If we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have 
fellowship one with another. 



86 A MANUAL FOR CHRISTIAN INSTRUCTION 

125. But is it enough that man know what his end in 
life is, and that God help hwi to attain it ? 

It is not. God cannot do all. Man is God's free 
child and must do his part. 1 He is to appropriate 
the help God provides. His duty is to respond to 
the overtures of God. 2 

1. Phil. 2 : 12. Work out your own salvation with fear and 
trembling. 

Matt. 7 : 7. Ask, and it shall be given you ; seek, and ye shall 
find ; knock, and it shall be opened unto you. 

2. Matt. 9 : 9. And he saith unto him, Follow me. And he 
arose, and followed him. 

1 Cor. 3 : 9. For we are God's fellow-workers. 

126. In the response of man to the overtures of God, 
what function does the human will perform f 

It is the function of the will to transmute into de- 
cision and action the knowledge of duty. 1 Each 
hour and day to realize in deeds our best thought and 
noblest impulse and thus establish and maintain the 
absolute moral unity and integrity of the human 
spirit 2 — intellect, sensibility and will — this is 
Christian living. 3 

1. John 13 : 17. If ye know these things, blessed are ye if ye do 
them. 

J as. 4:17. To him therefore that knoweth to do good, and 
doeth it not, to him it is sin. 

Acts 26 : 19. Wherefore, O king Agrippa, I was not disobedient 
unto the heavenly vision. 

2. Mark 3 : 25. If a house be divided against itself, that house 
will not be able to stand. 

Matt. 7 : 24, 25. Every one therefore that heareth these words of 



COOPERATION WITH GOD 87 

mine, and doeth them, shall be likened unto a wise man, who built 
his house upon the rock : and the rain descended, and the floods 
came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell 
not : for it was founded upon the rock. 

3. Acts 2 : 41. They then that received his word were baptized : 
and there were added unto them in that day about three thousand 
souls. 

Eph. 4 :3c And grieve not the Holy Spirit of God, in whom ye 
were sealed unto the day of redemption. 

127. What does mans response to the overtures of God 
embrace f 

Man's response to the overtures of God embraces 
faith, 1 and faith's normal unfolding. 2 

1. Heb. 11:6. And without faith it is impossible to be well- 
pleasing unto him ; for he that cometh to God must believe that he 
is, and that he is a rewarder of them that seek after him. 

2. Jas. 2:18. I by my works will show thee my faith. 

Phil. 3 : 9. Not having a righteousness of mine own, even that 
which is of the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the 
righteousness which is from God by faith. 

128. What is the Supreme Object of faith ? 

The Supreme Object of faith is not a law, a creed, 
a book or an institution. These are indispensable 
helps to faith ; but faith's Supreme Object is a Per- 
son, 1 and that Person is the risen, ascended, living, 
reigning and eternal Christ of God. 2 

1. Is. 6:1. I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and 
lifted up ; and his train filled the temple. 

2. Acts 7 : 55, 56. But he, being full of the Holy Spirit, looked up 
stedfastly into heaven, and saw the glory of God, and Jesus stand- 
ing on the right hand of God, and said, Behold, I see the heavens 
opened, and the Son of man standing on the right hand of God. 



88 A MANUAL FOR CHRISTIAN INSTRUCTION 

129. Wherein is the real value of the creeds as aids to 
faith t 

The creeds "bring out into light and emphasis" 
the most important principles of the Scriptures, helping 
man to get into the orbit of God's thought and hold 
himself with singleness of purpose to the mark of 

the prize of his high calling. 

Acts 8 : 30, 31. Understandest thou what thou readest? And he 
said, How can I, except some one shall guide me? And he be- 
sought Philip to come up and sit with him. 

Heb. 5 : 12. Ye have need again that some one teach you the 
rudiments of the first principles of the oracles of God. 

Matt. 15 : 14. If the blind guide the blind, both shall fall into a pit. 

130. What is faith t 

Faith is the filial, trustful relation which the whole 
man — intellect, heart and will — sustains toward the 
Lord Jesus Christ. 

Mark 9 : 24. I believe ; help thou mine unbelief. 

Acts 16 : 31. Believe on the Lord Jesus, and thou shalt be saved. 

Jas. 2 : 23. And Abraham believed God, and it was reckoned 
unto him for righteousness. 

Matt, 4 : 19, 20. And he saith unto them, Come ye after me, and 
I will make you fishers of men. And they straightway left the nets 
and followed him. 

[as. 2 : 14. What doth it profit, my brethren, if a man say he 
hath faith, but have not works? can that faith save him? 

131. Haw does true faith differ front mere intellectual 
assent t 

True faith involves loving trust in its Object. It is 
a part of man's life and character. 1 Mere intellectual 

LofC. 



COOPERATION WITH GOD 89 

ent remains bare profession and does not pass into 
feeling and action.- 

I. Ads 11:94. He was a good man, and full of the Holy Spirit 
and of faith. 

5. 2 : 19. Thou believest that God is one ; thou doe ; 
the demons also believe, and shudder. 

. 15: 8. This people honoreth me with their lips; but their 
heart is far from me. 

Luke 6 :4c. call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the 

things which I say? 

L 7 : 21. Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall 
enter into the kingdom of heaven ; but he that doeth the will of my 
Father who is in heaven. 

What is the relation of the imagination to faith t 

The imagination illumines man's entire environment, 
— earth, heaven and hell. — and thus paints and ex- 
hibits to faith the realities of religion. 

Is. 40 : 25, 26. To whom then will ye liken me, that I should be 
equal to him? saith the Holy One. Lift up your eyes on high, and 
see who hath created these, that bringeth out their host by number. 

2 Kings € : : :-. And he answered, Fear not ; for they that are 
with us are more than they that are with them. And Elisha prayed, 
and said, Jehovah, I pray thee, open his eyes, that he may see. And 
Jehovah opened the eyes of the young man ; and he saw : and, be- 
hold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire round 
■boufl E':s:.2. 

133. Into what forms of Christian experience and 
zith unfold itself? 

Faith unfolds itself into many forms of Christian 
experience and activity, all of which are embraced in 
repentance, 1 growth- and service. 3 



90 A MANUAL FOR CHRISTIAN INSTRUCTION 

i. Matt. 12 : 41. They repented at the preaching of Jonah. 

2. Eph. 4 : 15. But speaking truth in love, may grow up in all 
things into him, who is the head, even Christ. 

1 Pet. 2 : 2. Long for the spiritual milk which is without guile, 
that ye may grow thereby unto salvation. 

2 Pet. 3 : 18. But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord 
and Saviour Jesus Christ. 

3. Acts 20 : 19. Serving the Lord with all lowliness of mind. 
Rom. 12 : 1. I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of 

God, to present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to 
God, which is your spiritual service. 

1 34. What is repentance ? 

Repentance is a deep change of the entire thinking, 
feeling and willing man ; and involves as its elements 
enlightenment, 1 contrition and confession, 2 prayer 
for pardon and peace, 3 counting the cost 4 and en- 
deavor after new obedience. 5 

1. Luke 15: 17. But when he came to himself he said, How 
many hired servants of my father's have bread enough and to spare, 
and I perish here with hunger ! 

2. Luke 15 : 18, 19. Father, I have sinned against heaven, and 
in thy sight : I am no more worthy to be called thy son. 

3. Ps. 25 : 18. Forgive all my sins. 

John 14 : 27. Peace I leave with you ; my peace I give unto you. 

4. Luke 15 : 18. Make me as one of thy hired servants. 

Luke 14 : 28. Which of you, desiring to build a tower, doth not 
first sit down and count the cost, whether he have wherewith to 
complete it? 

5. Luke 19:8. And Zacchaeus stood, and said unto the Lord, 
Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor ; and if I 
have wrongfully exacted aught of any man, I restore fourfold. 

135. How does repentance differ from j-egeneration ? 
Repentance and regeneration are the two aspects of 

man's spiritual transformation, the former denoting 



COOPERATION WITH GOD n\ 

man's response to the movement of God within ; ' the 
latter signifying God's part in convincing man of sin 
and enabling him to accept Christ and do his will.- 

i. Heb. 3 : 8. Harden not your hearts, as in the provocation. 
Acts 26 : 19. I was not disobedient unto the heavenly vision. 
Rev. 22 : 17. And he that is athirst, let him come. 
2. Jer. 31 : 18. Turn thou me, and I shall be turned. 
John 3 15, 7. Except one be born of water and the Spirit, he 
cannot enter into the kingdom of God. ... Ye must be born anew. 

136. If Via/ are ike chief obstacles to repentance f 

The chief obstacles to repentance are the power of 
sin in the soul. 1 a false pride in one's own personality 
and achievements.- ignorance of God's truth, 3 the en- 
vironment of worldly interests and friendships 4 and 
the insincerity of many professing Christians. 5 

1. Rom. 7:21. I find then the law, that, to me who would do 
good, evil is present. 

2. Luke 18:11, 12. The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with 
himself, God, I thank thee, that I am not as the rest of men, extor- 
tioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican. I fast twice in 
the week ; I give tithes of all that Lget. 

3. John 4 : 10. If thou knewest the gift of God, and who it is 
that saith to thee, Give me to drink; thou wouldest have asked of 
him, and he would have given thee living water. 

4. Matt. 19 : 22. But when the young man heard the saying, he 
went away sorrowful ; for he was one that had great possessions. 

Luke 14 : 18-20. And they all with one consent began to make 
excuse. The first said unto him, I have bought a field, and I 
must needs go out and see it ; I pray thee have me excused. And 
another said, I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I go to prove 
them ; I pray thee have me excused. And another said, I have 
married a wife, and therefore I cannot come. 

5. Rom. 14 : 15. Destroy not with thy meat him for whom Christ 
died. 



92 A MANUAL FOR CHRISTIAN INSTRUCTION 

137. What is meant by growth as a form of faith's 
unfolding f 

Growth is the continued progress l of man, through 
the indwelling Christ, 2 and is furthered by the 
study of the Word, 3 prayer, 4 the observance of the 
ordinances 5 and the exercise of those graces which 
pertain to the complete man. 6 

1. Luke 2 152. And Jesus advanced in wisdom and stature. 

2. Col. 2:6,7. As therefore ye received Christ Jesus the Lord, 
so walk in him, rooted and builded up in him. 

John 15 : 4. Abide in me, and I in you. 

3. Ps. 1 : 2. His delight is in the law of Jehovah ; and on his 
law doth he meditate day and night. 

Acts 2 : 42. And they continued stedfastly in the apostles' teach- 
ing and fellowship, in the breaking of bread and the prayers. 

2 Pet. 3:2. Ye should remember the words which were spoken 
before by the holy prophets, and the commandment of the Lord and 
Saviour through your apostles. 

4. 1 Thess. 5 : 17. Pray without ceasing. 

Luke 18 : 1. They ought always to pray, and not to faint. 

5. Heb. 9:1. Now even the first covenant had ordinances of 
divine service, and its sanctuary, a sanctuary of this world. 

6. Phil. 4:8. Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, 
whatsoever things are honorable, whatsoever things are just, whatso- 
ever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things 
are of good report ; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, 
think on these things. 



138. How is the Word of God to be studied? 

The Word of God, being a message from the Father 
in heaven to his children, is, as with an earthly 
father's letters to his child, best understood when we 
read it in his presence and under his direction. It, 



COOPERATION WITH COD 93 

therefore, is to be studied with diligence, 1 prepara- 
tion' 2 and prayer; 3 being received with faith 4 and 
love, 5 laid up in our hearts, 6 and practiced in our 
lives. 7 

1. Acts 17:11. They received the word with all readiness of 
mind, examining the scriptures daily, whether these things were 
so. 

2. Jas. 1 : 21. Wherefore putting away all filthiness and over- 
flowing of wickedness, receive with meekness the implanted word, 
which is able to save your souls. 

3. Ps. 119 : 18. Open thou mine eyes, that I may behold wondrous 
things out of thy law. 

4. Heb.4:2. But the word of hearing did not profit them, because 
it was not united by faith with them that heard. 

5. 2 Thess. 2 : 10. They received not the love of the truth, that 
they might be saved. 

6. Deut. 11:18. Therefore shall ye lay up these my words in your 
heart and in your soul. 

7. Jas. 1 : 22. But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers 
only, deluding your own selves. 

1 39. What is prayer f 

Prayer is an offering up of our desires to God, 1 
and includes adoration, 2 thanksgiving, 3 confession 4 
and petition. 5 

1. Ps. 62 : 8. Trust in him at all times, ye people ; pour out your 
heart before him : God is a refuge for us. 

2. 1 Chron. 29 : 11. Thine, O Jehovah, is the greatness, and the 
power, and the glory, and the victory, and the majesty. 

3. Ps. 95 : 2. Let us come before his presence with thanksgiv- 
ing. 

4. Dan. 9:4. And I prayed unto Jehovah my God, and made 
confession. 

5. 1 John 5 : 14. And this is the boldness which we have toward 
him, that, if we ask anything according to his will, he heareth us. 



94 A MANUAL FOR CHRISTIAN INSTRUCTION 

Jas. 5:14. Is any among you sick? let him call for the elders 
of the church ; and let them pray over him. 

Acts 12 : 5. But prayer was made earnestly of the church unto 
God for him. 

140. What does the observance of the ordinances e?n- 
brace f 

The observance of the ordinances embraces bap- 
tism, 1 the Lord's Supper, 2 public worship 3 and the 
proper use of the Lord's Day. 4 

1. Acts 10: 48. And he commanded them to be baptized in the 
name of Jesus Christ. 

2. 1 Cor. 11 : 26. For as often as ye eat this bread, and drink the 
cup, ye proclaim the Lord's death till he come. 

3. Heb. 10 : 25. Not forsaking our own assembling together, as 
the custom of some is, but exhorting one another. 

Acts 2 : 46. And day by day, continuing stedfastly with one 
accord in the temple, and breaking bread at home, they took their 
food with gladness and singleness of heart. 

4. Lev. 23 : 3. It is a sabbath unto Jehovah in all your dwellings. 

141. How is the worshiper to conduct himself in the 
house of God? 

He is reverently to enter the house of God, 1 to 
bring himself into sympathy with the service 3 and, by 
prayer and other possible means, seek to have the 
worship of God full of spiritual beauty and dignity, 3 
and pervaded with power, 4 so that sinners shall be 
converted 5 and believers strengthened and built up in 
Christ. 6 

1. Hab. 2 : 20. Jehovah is in his holy temple : let all the earth 
keep silence before him. 



COOPERATION WITH GOD 95 

2. John 4 : 24. God is a Spirit : and they that worship him must 
worship in spirit and truth. 

3. 1 Chron. 16 : 29. Worship Jehovah in holy array. 

4. Acts 2 : 4. And they were all fille'd with the Holy Spirit. 

5. Acts 11 : 24. And much people was added unto the Lord. 

6. 1 Thess. 5:11. Wherefore exhort one another, and build each 
other up, even as also ye do. 

142. / Hi at is required to tJie worthy receiving of the 
Lord V Supper ? 

It is required of them that would worthily partake 
of the Lord's Supper, that they examine l themselves 
of their knowledge to discern the Lord's body, 2 of their 
faith 3 to feed upon him, of their repentance, love and 
new obedience, 4 lest, coming unworthily, they eat and 
drink judgment 5 to themselves. 

1. 1 Cor. 11 : 28. But let a man prove himself, and so let him eat 
of the bread, and drink of the cup. 

2. 1 Cor. 11 : 29. For he that eateth and drinketh, eateth and 
drinketh judgment unto himself, if he discern not the body. 

3. 2 Cor. 13 : 5. Try your ow^n selves, whether ye are in the faith ; 
prove your own selves. 

4. 1 Cor. 5 : 8. Wherefore let us keep the feast, not with old 
leaven, neither with the leaven of malice and wickedness, but with 
the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth. 

5. 1 Cor. 11 : 31. But if we discerned ourselves, we should net 
be judged. 

143. What is service? 

Service is the employment of all l our resources of 
mind, body and estate, under the leading of God 2 
and in cooperation with our fellow man, 3 for the prog- 
ress of the entire social order ; 4 including the promo- 



g6 A MANUAL FOR CHRISTIAN INSTRUCTION 

tion of the welfare of man 5 and the improvement of 
the world in which he lives. 6 

1. Acts 3 : 6. What I have, that give I thee. 

2. Prov. 3:6. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he will 
direct thy paths. 

3. Phil. 1 : 27. Stand fast in one spirit, with one soul striving for 
the faith of the gospel. 

4. Eph. 5: 16. Redeeming the time, because the days are evil. 

5. Gal. 6 : 10. So then, as we have opportunity, let us work that 
which is good toward all men, and especially toward them that are 
of the household of the faith. 

6. Is. 40:4. Every valley shall be exalted, and every mountain 
and hill shall be made low; and the uneven shall be made level, 
and rough places a plain. 

144. What does the pro?notion of the welfare of mart 
include ? 

The promotion of the welfare of man includes his 
conversion, 1 and his upbuilding, bodily, mentally, 
morally and spiritually. 2 

1. Jas. 5 r 20. He who converteth a sinner from the error of his 
way shall save a soul from death. 

2. 1 Thess. 5 : 23. And may your spirit and soul and body be 
preserved entire. 

John 21 : 15. Feed my lambs. 

Matt. 28 : 19. Go ye therefore, and make disciples of all the 
nations. 

Acts 16 : 9. And a vision appeared to Paul in the night : There 
was a man of Macedonia standing, beseeching him, and saying, 
Come over into Macedonia, and help us. 

145. What does the improvement of the wo?'ld in 
which man lives include? 

The improvement of the world in which man lives 
includes all those reforms and movements which, 



COOPERATION WITH GOD 97 

through advancing the industrial, 1 sanitary, 2 political, 3 
educational 4 and spiritual 5 progress of society, are 
making the earth a better dwelling-place for the 
human family. 

1. Gen. 4:17. And he builded a city, and called the name of 
the city after the name of his son, Enoch. 

2 Kings 20 : 20. And how he made the pool, and the conduit, and 
brought water into the city. 

Gen. 26:12. And Isaac sowed in that land, and found in the 
same year a hundredfold. 

2. Lev. 13 : 2. When a man shall have in the skin of his flesh 
a rising, or a scab, or a bright spot, and it become in the skin of his 
flesh the plague of leprosy, then he shall be brought unto Aaron the 
priest. 

3. Num. 32:29. And the land shall be subdued before you. 
Matt. 22 : 21. Render therefore unto Caesar the things that are 

Caesar's. 

4. Deut. 4:9. Make them known unto thy children and thy 
children's children. 

Eccl. 2:5. I made me gardens and parks, and I planted trees in 
them. 

5. Matt. 12 : 28. Then is the kingdom of God come upon you. 

146. With what spirit are we to face this world's 
social problems ? 

We are to stand in reverence for the sacrifices that 
have made possible " the social order that holds us." l 
We are to be glad for the problems that confront us, 
since they are the opportunity for us to glorify God 
and serve our fellow man. 2 We are vigorously to apply 
to those problems the teachings of Jesus. 3 But doing 
our best, we yet are to possess ourselves in patience, 
since the regeneration of society cannot be more 



98 A MANUAL FOR CHRISTIAN INSTRUCTION 

rapid than the redemption of the individual. 4 We 
are to have faith in the final triumph of righteousness 
and truth in God's world. 5 

1. Heb. 11 : 13. These all died in faith, not having received the 
promises, but having seen them and greeted them from afar. 

Luke 10 : 24. Many prophets and kings desired to see the things 
which ye see, and saw them not. 

2. John 9 : 3. That the works of God should be made manifest 
in him. 

John 11 : 4. This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of 
God, that the Son of God may be glorified thereby. 

3. 2 Tim. 4 : 2. Reprove, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering 
and teaching. 

Is. 1 : 17. Seek justice, relieve the oppressed, judge the fatherless, 
plead for the widow. 

4. Jas. 1 : 4. And let patience have its perfect work. 

5. 1 Cor. 15 : 25. He must reign, till he hath put all his enemies 
under his feet. 

147. What is the relation of service to progress to- 
ward perfection f 

Service is a condition precedent to progress. 1 This 
world is man's gymnasium, 2 wherein he must exercise 
every power for the advancement of the material and 
spiritual interests of humanity, if he would grow. 
" When I touch the hand of Christ in his work, I am 
ennobled, consecrated, crowned." 3 

1. Matt. 10 : 39. He that loseth his life for my sake shall find it. 

2. 1 Cor. 9:26. I therefore so run, as not uncertainly; so fight 
I, as not beating the air. 

3. 2 Tim. 4 17, 8. I have fought the good fight, I have finished 
the course, I have kept the faith : henceforth there is laid up for me 
the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, 
shall give to me at that day ; and not to me only, but also to all 
them that have loved his appearing. 



MAR 2o> 1903 



LIBRARY OF CONGRESS 

022 190 330 4 



